New ambulances to honor memories of fallen Christians in Israel during wartime

Three new ambulances donated to Israel’s Magen David Adom have been dedicated to the memories of two Christian men: Ionas Karousis and Urija Bayer, and a third vehicle honoring members of Israel’s security services who gave their lives in the line of duty.

The ambulances were provided by Christian supporters of ONE FOR ISRAEL and were presented in a moving ceremony attended by the families of Urija and Ionas, who came to see their sons honored at the event. During his speech, Dr. Erez Soref, the president of ONE FOR ISRAEL, acknowledged the contributions of Christians who helped fund the new vehicles and expressed gratitude for their generosity.

“They’re not Jewish, and they’re not Israeli. It stands out especially in a year when hatred towards the Jewish people and the state of Israel has been so rampant around the world, in all parts of the world," Soref said.

"Our donors are men and women who for many years have been praying for the nation of Israel, but especially through this last year. Through prayer for all of us, God has moved their hearts to give and donate to the betterment of the nation of Israel.”

He continued, “Through their generosity, ONE FOR ISRAEL has had the privilege to give tens of millions of shekels over this last year to municipalities, local communities, different local and national bodies that assist wounded people, wounded soldiers, families, all that to alleviate, even just a little bit the suffering in the nation of Israel in this past year".

Bayer’s family moved to Israel from Germany with a desire to “comfort God’s people” according to Isaiah 40, and received approval to become permanent residents. Urija was required to serve in the IDF because of his permanent resident status, but voluntarily chose to serve in a combat unit. He lost his life fighting for Israel.

Media outlets across Israel’s societal and political spectrum have written about Urija’s courage and sacrifice. Even religious news sites, which are not typically friendly to Christians or the Israeli army, admiringly wrote about Urija after his death, calling him the “salt of the earth,” and praising him as a hero.

With IDF soldiers tragically falling in intense battles in Gaza each day, Urija and his family, and the story of their unimaginable sacrifice, touched a nerve in Israeli society. 

Ionas Karousis was the only child of his parents who moved to Israel from Thessaloniki in 1988. He was gunned down by Palestinian terrorists in Jaffa on Oct. 1, along with six others.

After terrorists opened fire at a light rail station on Jerusalem Boulevard in Jaffa, large numbers of Magen David Adom teams were immediately dispatched to the scene, and described the attack as “extremely violent,” adding, “The terrorists opened fire at a train car while it was moving, injuring people inside and around it.”

The 26-year-old held dual citizenship (Greek and Israeli) and is survived by his father, a prominent neurologist in Jerusalem, Dr. Dmitri Karousis, as well as his mother, who is also a doctor.

While other public services are provided by the government, Israel’s ambulance service is funded purely by donations.

The new ambulances carry a QR code with information about Bayer and Karousis, along with the verse from Psalm 14:7: “Oh that salvation would come out of Zion!”

The third ambulance is dedicated to Israel’s security services “who fought so bravely during this terrible time to protect the people of Israel.”

These ambulances serve as a meaningful tribute to the lives lost and will undoubtedly play a crucial role in saving many others.