Sgt. First Class Urija Bayer, 20: Messianic Jew died fighting Hamas

Sgt. First Class Urija Bayer, 20, a commando in the Maglan unit from the northern town of Maalot-Tarshiha, died of wounds sustained in fighting in southern Gaza on December 14.

Bayer was evacuated to Beersheba’s Soroka hospital after sustaining a serious head wound from shrapnel during a fierce battle with Hamas gunmen in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis. Doctors fought to save his life for three days, but he ultimately succumbed to his wounds on December 17.

A Messianic Jew whose family moved to Israel from Germany to help Holocaust survivors, Bayer leaves behind his parents, Gideon and Nelli, brother Zuriel and two sisters Rachel and Odelia. He will be laid to rest in the Maalot-Tarshiha military cemetery on Tuesday.

Bayer’s uncle Micah Bayer said that his nephew “believed deeply in what he was doing. I met one of his friends from his unit who was also wounded and he said that Urija was the strongest man in the unit, physically and mentally.”

“He was a quiet, introverted boy, but he was always laughing and fun to be around,” his uncle added.

Bayer’s family moved to Israel from Germany in the 1970s under the auspices of Zedakah, a German Christian organization that has one goal stated on its website: “We want to comfort Holocaust survivors, serve them and do good.” To that end, the family settled in the northern town of Maalot-Tarshiha, to found and operate Bet Eliezer, a nursing home for elderly Holocaust survivors.

Bayer’s grandparents had “always had a dream to heal, to bring about change, to atone for what happened [to Jewish people in Germany in World War II]. From their faith sprang a drive to help the Jewish people, the chosen people,” his sister Odelia told Ynet four years ago.

Following in the footsteps of his brother and sisters, Bayer volunteered to serve in an IDF combat unit. In 2020, Odelia placed first in the IDF Combat Officer Competition.

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