Young Evangelical IDF Soldier Dies in Battle

IDF Sgt.-Maj. Urija Bayer, 20, volunteered for combat, echoing the commitment of 100 evangelical Christians in the IDF supporting Israel.

By Vered Weiss

Urija chose to volunteer for the IDF even though, as a non-citizen, he was exempt from mandatory military service.

The parents of DF Sgt.-Maj. Urija Bayer (20), who succumbed to his injuries on Sunday after having been wounded in combat on December 14 on the Southern Gaza Strip, said their son “always wanted to be a combat soldier,” and “was willing to give his life for Israel.”

Urija Bayer was in the Maglan Special Forces unit of the Nahal Brigade.

A fellow Christian IDF soldier who knew Urija Bayer said, “He always wanted to be a combat soldier. He was a good combat soldier, focused on defending the State of Israel. He was a good person, too. Always smiling.”

Born in Israel to German Christian Evangelical parents Nelli and Gideon Bayer, Urija chose to volunteer for the IDF even though, as a non-citizen, he was exempt from mandatory military service.

Nelli and Gideon founded Zedakah, a German-Christian charity organization that runs the Bet Eliezer nursing home for Holocaust survivors in Ma’alot, located in the Western Galilee.

Urija’s grandparents, Hans and Crystal Bayer, opened the Beth El guest house in Shavei Zion, a hotel that hosts Holocaust survivors and their families for free.

Urija leaves siblings Rachel, Odelia, Zuriel, and Eliaw, all born in Israel, are serving in the IDF, with two of the brothers currently serving in Gaza.

Juergen Buehler, a German Christian who runs the International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem told The Jerusalem Post that there are about 100 evangelical Christians serving in the IDF, including his two sons.

Buehler says, “Most of these children were born here. They live here. Israel is their home. They all grew up in Zionist households, and they believe in the case for the State of Israel. They feel they are fighting for the right thing now.”