Vatman, Avraham

Avraham, son of Reizel and Yechiel Vatman, was born in 1918 in Opatow, Poland, the son of laborers. He immigrated to Israel in 1945 together with his brother. The two lived together and did not separate from one another until his dying day. For a while he was in the Nitzanim group and when they left, he worked in a building in Ramat Gan. Avraham was a member of the Haganah and when he was drafted, he enlisted and served in the Alexandroni Brigade. With the entry of the Arab Legion into the fighting, the Legion’s forces seized Latrun and cut off the road to Jerusalem. The situation in the city worsened and it was decided to break through in Operation Son of-Nun A. The task was assigned to the newly formed Brigade 7, which was reinforced for this mission in the Alexandroni Brigade. His battalion was assigned to conquer Latrun, and he left on his mission on the night of May 24-25, 1948. Shortly after the departure, the force encountered stronger enemy forces and was forced to withdraw. In the midst of the harsh retreat, Avraham fell on the day of the 16th of Iyar 5708 (May 25, 1948). He was laid to rest at the military cemetery on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem.