After a brief hiatus during the war, the Witnesses in Uniform program returned in 2025 with a weight and significance unlike ever before. Following the profound challenges of October 7, the mission to connect the guardians of Israel’s future with the echoes of its past became an urgent necessity.
This past year, FIDF funded three powerful delegations to Poland, bringing a total of 555 participants to the grounds of the Shoah. These groups were uniquely composed: 80% active-duty and 20% reserve officers and NCOs, all selected for their outstanding leadership during the recent war. Joining them were eight representatives of bereaved families, creating a sacred bridge between the sacrifices of the past and the losses of the present.
By taking these leaders to the sites of the Holocaust, FIDF’s Witnesses in Uniform program provides the most powerful context for their service. It reminds IDF commanders and their soldiers of the vital historical imperative of having a strong military grounded in moral values—one that is backed by the knowledge, resources, and lessons learned from the horrors of the past.
A Legacy of Healing: The Bayer Family
Among those walking the path of remembrance was Gideon Bayer, a man whose family history reads like a masterclass in Tikkun Olam (repairing the world). The Bayers, Evangelical Christians from Maalot-Tarshiha, moved from Germany to Israel in 1972 with a singular mission: to care for Holocaust survivors and fight antisemitism.
From founding nursing homes to decades of quiet service, the Bayers have always stood with the Jewish people. That commitment reached its most painful peak when their son, Sergeant First Class Urija Bayer—known as a “tough soldier with the kindest heart”—was mortally wounded in battle in Khan Yunis while serving with the Maglan unit.
From Silence to Symphony
During the delegation, Gideon witnessed a moment that felt like a divine orchestration of history. A young officer in the group played a restored violin that once belonged to Waldemar Better, a musician murdered in Auschwitz in 1944. As the notes drifted through the forest near the execution pits, the past and present merged.
“The thing that Holocaust survivors never dared to dream of was that they would have a state,” Gideon shared. “And here, the army of that state comes to the place where they suffered. It is chilling.”
For Gideon, laying the FIDF wreath was an “absurdity on top of an absurdity”—a German-born father, honoring his fallen Israeli son, standing with the Jewish state. His journey reminds us that while we carry backpacks of pain, we have a home, a community, and a mission to continue building.
The 2025 delegations weren’t just educational trips; they were resilience-building missions. Participant feedback highlights a reinforced sense of identity and a renewed commitment to the State of Israel. By walking through the darkness of Poland, our commanders returned with a clearer vision of why they fight.
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