An Israeli American man who grew up in Rockville, Maryland, was killed along Israel's border with Lebanon on Friday while serving as a reservist in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), according to the Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School (CESJDS).
Omer Balva, 22, was killed Friday evening in a missile attack, the Times of Israel reported. The CESJDS alumni group shared the news in an Instagram post on Saturday.
Balva had enlisted with the IDF after moving to Israel in 2019, the same year he graduated from CESJDS. He was called into service shortly after Hamas attacked the country earlier this month.
Those who knew him said he was selfless and a joy to be around, a person who cared about the well-being of others.
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Ethan Missner, who had been friends with Balva since they were 6 years old, said Balva was actually in the U.S. visiting him, and the two were hanging out just last week, before he went back to fight in the war.
Missner said it’s surreal that his friend is gone.
“I want him to be remembered as extremely selfless and prideful for what he did, and as a hero, because he is a hero. He was a hero when he was alive. He was a hero before he went to the army, because he makes everybody feel amazing," Missner said. "It doesn’t matter who you are or where you came from. Everybody around him had a smile on their face because he would always smile at them and laugh with them. That’s how I want him to be remembered.”
Rabbi Mitchel Malkus, the head of CESJDS, said the school is saddened by the passing of Balva.
“The entire Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School community, including alumni, students, faculty and staff, is completely devastated and heartbroken to learn of the killing of Omer Balva ’19, who was proudly serving in the Israeli Defense Forces having been recently called up for reserve duty,” Malkus said. “Omer was a beloved student who attended our school from age seven through to his high school graduation. He was an unabashed advocate for the State of Israel. He is a hero to the State of Israel, the Jewish people, and the school. We mourn his loss.”