Omer Balva was just 22, with a girlfriend he planned to marry and a future full of promise. When Israel came under attack, he left everything behind to answer the call.

By Hezy Laing

Omer Balva had already bought the engagement ring. At 22, the American-born Israeli soldier was preparing to propose to his longtime girlfriend, Odelya, and begin the next chapter of their lives together.

He was studying business and economics, had a close circle of friends, and dreamed of raising a family in Israel.

But when Hamas launched its October 7 massacre, those plans were suddenly put aside.

Omer was visiting the United States when he learned that Israel was under attack. Although he had completed his regular military service, he was determined to return and join his reserve unit.

On October 15, 2023, he boarded a flight back to Israel.

Five days later, he was killed by a Hezbollah anti-tank missile near Israel’s northern border.

A friendship that began in childhood

Omer was born and raised in Rockville, Maryland, to Israeli parents, Eyal and Sigal Balva. He attended Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School, where he developed friendships that would remain central to his life.

Among his closest friends was Ethan Missner, whom he had known since they were five years old.

Their friendship was built on shared childhood experiences, humor, and dreams about the lives they would someday lead.

When Omer moved to Israel to join the IDF, he wrote Ethan a letter imagining a future in which they would vacation together with their wives and children.

It was a dream of ordinary happiness: marriage, families, and a friendship that would continue into adulthood.

Those words would take on heartbreaking significance after his death.

Friends remembered Omer as warm, generous, and unassuming. Ethan’s mother, Shani Missner, recalled, “He never talked about himself. He never bragged. He always just had a huge smile on his face.”

He chose Israel over an easier life

After graduating from high school in 2019, Omer could have remained in America and pursued a conventional college education alongside his friends.

Instead, he moved to Israel and enlisted in the IDF.

He served in the Golani Brigade’s 51st Battalion, completing his regular military service before enrolling at Reichman University to study business administration and economics.

His commitment to Israel had begun years earlier. In a school presentation, he wrote about his family’s deep roots in the country and his desire to raise his own children there.

Military service was part of that commitment, but it was not the entirety of his identity.

He loved soccer, enjoyed theater, and had a gift for connecting with people. Those who knew him described a young man who took a genuine interest in others and rarely sought recognition for himself.

The decision that changed everything

When Hamas terrorists invaded Israel on October 7, Omer was traveling in America with Odelya.

As the scale of the massacre became clear, he decided to return to Israel.

His father initially urged him to wait, fearing the dangers that awaited him. But Omer was determined to rejoin his fellow soldiers.

Before leaving, he spent time with Ethan in Maryland. The two friends went shopping for military supplies, purchasing protective equipment and other items needed by Omer’s unit.

They also shared a deeply personal Jewish moment, putting on tefillin together before Omer’s departure.

On October 17, two days after Omer returned to Israel, his father drove him north to rejoin his reserve unit.

According to a family interview published by Ynetnews, father and son held hands, embraced, and talked during the journey.

Neither knew it would be their final goodbye.

His final act of courage

Omer served as a squad commander in the Alexandroni Brigade’s 9203rd Battalion, deployed along Israel’s increasingly dangerous northern border.

Hezbollah had begun attacking Israel from Lebanon, firing rockets and anti-tank missiles at Israeli positions and communities.

According to an IDF remembrance account, Omer learned that his unit had already suffered painful losses, including the death of a commander to whom he had been close.

Then came a dangerous mission near the Lebanese border.

The unit needed several volunteers.

Omer was the first to step forward.

On October 20, just three days after reporting for reserve duty, he was killed by an anti-tank missile fired from Lebanon. Three other Israeli soldiers were wounded in the incident.

He was 22 years old.

The young man who had been spending time with friends in America only days earlier was gone.

The proposal that never happened

Beyond the battlefield, Omer had been preparing for an entirely different future.

He and Odelya had been together for five years. Their relationship had grown through military service, studies, and the challenges of building a life in Israel.

Omer had already purchased an engagement ring and told family members that he intended to propose.

Odelya later described the certainty they had felt about their future together.

“He was my anchor,” she told Ynetnews.

They had expected to marry, build a home, and share the years ahead.

Instead, Odelya was left mourning the man she had planned to spend her life with, while his parents and three siblings faced the loss of a beloved son and brother.

Omer was buried in the military cemetery in Herzliya.

A legacy built on kindness

After his death, Omer’s family wanted the world to remember more than the circumstances in which he was killed.

They wanted people to know how he had lived.

Friends and relatives described a young man whose kindness extended far beyond his immediate circle. He made time for others, listened to their problems, and treated people with warmth regardless of their background.

His family established the “Be Kind as Omer Balva” initiative, encouraging acts of generosity and support for charitable causes. A scholarship fund was also created for Golani soldiers.

It was a way of preserving the qualities that had defined him long before October 7.

Omer had imagined a future filled with family, friendship, and a life in the country he loved. When Israel came under attack, he answered the call, knowing the risks but unwilling to remain safely abroad.

He never got to propose to Odelya. He never got to raise the children he had dreamed about or take those family vacations with Ethan.

But through the kindness his family now encourages in his name, something of the future he imagined continues to live on.

Omer Balva gave his life defending Israel. His family is determined that the goodness with which he lived will not die with him.