{"id":434522,"date":"2026-05-10T08:11:11","date_gmt":"2026-05-10T08:11:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/434522\/"},"modified":"2026-05-10T08:11:11","modified_gmt":"2026-05-10T08:11:11","slug":"my-grandparents-would-never-believe-i-stood-in-germany-in-an-idf-uniform","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/434522\/","title":{"rendered":"‘My grandparents would never believe I stood in Germany in an IDF uniform’"},"content":{"rendered":"

At a synagogue in Budapest<\/a>, the capital of Hungary, Noam, a Nahal reconnaissance soldier who recovered from a serious head wound, stood to recite a prayer for the welfare of IDF soldiers. In his heart, he also carried a personal prayer for the recovery of his teammate, A., who was wounded in the same serious incident and is still undergoing rehabilitation at the hospital.<\/p>\n

From the front row of the women\u2019s section, Eva Berger, 91, who was born and raised in Hungary, watched him with emotion. As a 10-year-old girl, she lost her entire extended family, who were murdered in the Holocaust; only her parents and she, their only daughter, survived.<\/p>\n

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Noam speaking in Budapest <\/p>\n

\u201cI was lucky, we were not in the ghetto. We hid, moving from house to house every two or three days, and I did not understand at all what was happening,\u201d she said, recalling the home where she lived before they fled. \u201cIt was opposite a large hospital, where they brought all the wounded soldiers from the war. That is what I saw as a child.\u201d<\/p>\n

After Noam, himself the grandson of a Holocaust survivor, finished the prayer, she said: \u201cIt hurts, and it is also amazing, to see a young man like that, who was wounded and is still defending the State of Israel.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was not the first time I met Noam, 22. The previous time was at Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer, when he arrived with his teammates from Team Z1 of the Nahal reconnaissance unit to visit A., the most seriously wounded soldier from the incident.<\/p>\n

This year, Noam joined the Jewish Agency\u2019s \u201cShlichim in Uniform\u201d delegation to share with members of the Jewish community in Budapest the journey he and his fellow soldiers went through together, from their enlistment in August 2022, through their training and completion of the course after a year and four months, to the ground maneuver in the Gaza Strip.<\/p>\n

He came to tell them about his own injury and rehabilitation, and that of seven other comrades wounded in the serious incident; about his decision to return to the unit as soon as he could, to complete his regular service; and about the memory of his five fallen friends, whose names he carried with him on every stage where he spoke and in every meeting he attended.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey walk with us, they are a source of strength for us. We remember them and their five families, with whom we have become one big family,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd we remember A., who is coping with a serious head wound and is still fighting to return to his life.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the Shabbat meal after the prayer service at the synagogue, Noam said: \u201cThis is not my story or the team\u2019s story. It is the story of the State of Israel, of the Jewish people around the world. The best example of that is this synagogue and this community, which has grown and developed, and it moves me so much to see it. That is the spirit of the Jewish people.\u201d<\/p>\n

The next day, at the Jewish Agency center in Budapest, Noam met Itay, the bereaved brother of Sgt. 1st Class Matan Polyboda, who was killed in a training accident during his course in the Shayetet 13 naval commando unit in 1996.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were shattered,\u201d Itay said, describing the painful loss of his beloved brother. \u201cI understood that I had to treat my shattered soul, my heart that had been broken into pieces. With his help, I rebuilt myself. In the process I went through, his soul was woven into the new Itay. Matan is with me all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Noam and Itay had already met at a Memorial Day<\/a> ceremony in which Noam took part, and where Itay, as he does every year, came to speak and light a torch. It was then that Itay discovered that Noam had fought on the same team as Yahav Hadar, the son of his childhood friend.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a brotherhood of fighters. Those who have experienced these things can communicate with understanding,\u201d Polyboda said of the connection that was formed with Noam.<\/p>\n

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Noam recites a prayer for the welfare of IDF soldiers at a Budapest synagogue <\/p>\n

As someone who works to strengthen the resilience of the Jewish community in Budapest and in Israel, Itay spoke about his decision to live in Hungary. \u201cOur real mission is to back Israel. Not to be inside, but from here, to support the country in every way, and our support is very meaningful,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

At the end of the meeting, Noam continued to a conversation with Jewish teenagers living in Budapest. After sharing his story, he was asked whether he would choose to enlist as a combat soldier even if he knew he would be wounded in battle.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would do it again and again. That is why we enlisted in the army, to contribute as much as possible. If I could do more, I would do more,\u201d he replied confidently.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am glad the Jewish identity in the community is so strong. The fact that you call yourselves \u2018the Zionist group\u2019 is very moving. It gives support to those who live in Israel, knowing that there is also a strong Jewish community abroad. That is what keeps us all together.\u201d<\/p>\n

Noam is one of 130 male and female soldiers who took part this year in the Jewish Agency\u2019s \u201cShlichim in Uniform\u201d initiative. During the complex days between Holocaust Remembrance Day and Independence Day, the delegation, initiated by Jewish Agency Chairman Maj. Gen. (res.) Doron Almog, set out for the fourth year.<\/p>\n

The delegation is part of the \u201cKiruv Levavot\u201d initiative, in cooperation with the IDF Ground Forces, the Defense Ministry\u2019s Department of Families, Commemoration and Heritage, and the Class Action Fund.<\/p>\n

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Noam at one of the delegation meetings <\/p>\n

Eighty-eight men and 42 women traveled in 54 delegations to 74 Jewish communities, 42 in the United States and 32 elsewhere around the world. They met with more than 60,000 people in all, with the aim of sharing personal stories from the war and strengthening ties with Jews in the Diaspora who are facing rising antisemitism.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe delegation expresses more than anything the spirit and pride of us as a people,\u201d Almog said. \u201cOur male and female soldiers go out to Jewish communities around the world and bring with them the beating heart of the State of Israel \u2014 the human face of courage, responsibility and hope. It is a painful, moving, unifying and healing encounter. An encounter that rebuilds the sense of mutual responsibility, which is the foundation of our existence.\u201d<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s delegation included 50 career soldiers, 61 reservists and 19 soldiers in mandatory service, with the vast majority of participants wounded in the Swords of Iron war<\/a>. The group included a unique breakdown of 15 new immigrants, 12 lone soldiers, 11 casualty officers, 10 doctors, four members of local rapid response teams, four paramedics and three resilience officers.<\/p>\n

Almog addressed the unusual approval for the delegation to travel during this period.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn wartime, and in an unprecedented way, the IDF allowed 130 male and female soldiers to go to Jewish communities around the world, underscoring the importance of the connection with world Jewry as a national mission of the highest order,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Master Sgt. (res.) Rachel Bayer, 27, also took part in the initiative, leaving April 19 for a delegation to Germany, where her grandparents were born.<\/p>\n

The two, evangelical Christians, chose to come to Israel in 1972 and were among the founders of Zedakah, a nursing home in Ma\u2019alot and a guesthouse for Holocaust survivors in Shavei Zion.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is a story of faith, not from a place of atonement. They believe in God, wanted to show love to the people of Israel and acted out of a sense of mission,\u201d Bayer said. \u201cWe always spoke German at home, and we never hid that this is our origin. But we are also Israelis in every sense.\u201d<\/p>\n

When she grew up, Bayer chose to enlist in a combat track.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had not known female combat soldiers before, but I understood that I loved the field and wanted to contribute as much as possible,\u201d she said. In 2017, she was assigned to serve as a fighter in a search and rescue unit, and served as a combat medic. \u201cIt was the most meaningful service I could have asked for,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

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Rachel Bayer in Berlin <\/p>\n

(Photo: Nicolai Froundjian)<\/p>\n

The rest of the Bayer siblings also set themselves the goal of completing meaningful military service. \u201cAll the credit goes to our parents, that is the education we got at home,\u201d Rachel said proudly.<\/p>\n

After her in the family are Odelia, who enlisted one draft cycle after her in exactly the same combat track, and C., who served in an elite unit. Both now report for reserve duty. The youngest son, A., is currently serving as a combat soldier in the Paratroopers Brigade. Between them was Urija, who served as a fighter in the Maglan unit and fell in the war.<\/p>\n

Sgt. First Class Urija Bayer was wounded Dec. 14, 2023, in an explosive device blast in the southern Gaza Strip. Seven other soldiers were wounded in the serious incident.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was in a reserve duty rotation. My father called and said Urija had been wounded. On the way, I did not understand what his condition was, but I was most afraid of a head injury. As a medic, I know the consequences,\u201d Rachel said.<\/p>\n

The family surrounded Urija as he fought for his life. \u201cIntensive care is a surreal experience. I call it a waiting room for heaven. Some leave it, and some continue on,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

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Rachel Bayer and her late brother, Urija <\/p>\n

After three days, Urija died after being declared brain dead.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a time of grace. At that time, it was not obvious that we would have someone to bury. We had a farewell, to give thanks for the time with Urija, 20 years that we were privileged to have him as a brother,\u201d his bereaved sister said painfully.<\/p>\n

She remembers their final meeting well. \u201cDuring the first ceasefire, he came out of Gaza, and I remember the hug he gave me, strong and good,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Bayer spoke with longing about her younger brother, who had been \u201cquiet and introverted,\u201d but began to flourish after his pre-army academy and enlistment in the IDF. \u201cIn the unit, he really shone. He was happy there. His team became his family,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

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Rachel Bayer presents a photo of her late brother, Urija, during a lecture in Berlin <\/p>\n

(Photo: Nicolai Froundjian)<\/p>\n

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Rachel Bayer during her military service <\/p>\n

Her decision to join the delegation this year, even at the cost of being absent from the cemetery on Memorial Day, was clear to her.<\/p>\n

\u201cI do not need Memorial Day to remember my brother. I remember him every day. To be in Germany, with my family story, is more of a return for me,\u201d she explained. \u201cMy grandparents would never have believed I would stand here in an IDF uniform.\u201d<\/p>\n

She came to the meetings with the Jewish community in Germany with a clear message: \u201cDo not forget the wounded, who are still fighting to return to life, and their families, who devote their lives to their recovery.\u201d<\/p>\n

After returning from the delegation, and alongside her medical studies at Ben-Gurion University, Bayer reported for her sixth round of reserve duty.<\/p>\n

Summing up the experience, she said: \u201cIt is incredible to see what Jews abroad are doing for their community. I understood how important it is to strengthen ties with them from Israel. Jews around the world have a very significant role, and meeting them gave me a broader picture of what they are coping with, which, like the reality in Israel, is also very complex.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"At a synagogue in Budapest, the capital of Hungary, Noam, a Nahal reconnaissance soldier who recovered from a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":434523,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[42,43,40,38,41,39],"class_list":["post-434522","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-headlines","tag-news","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/434522","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=434522"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/434522\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/434523"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=434522"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=434522"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=434522"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}