Zachary Baumel

(1960 - )

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On June 11, 1982, in a battle with Palestinian and Syrian forces near the Lebanese village of Sultan Yaqub, five Israeli soldiers went missing, and while two have since been returned to Israel, three others - Zachary Baumel, Yehuda Katz and Zvi Feldman- are still considered missing in action. Since they went missing, Palestinian and Syrian officials have been unhelpful in providing Israel with any information about its missing soldiers.

Baumel was the son of Yona and Miriam and the brother of Shimon and Osna. He attended the Hebrew Institute of Boro Park, or Yeshivat Etz Chaim, and his family made aliya to Israel and settled in Haifa suburb Kiryat Motzkin. He went to the State Religious School as well as Midreshiat No'am High School.

After his studies, he began his military service in the Israel Defense Forces in the Hesder format which combined army service with religious studies. Baumel played basketball frequently and studied at Yeshivat Har Etzion in Alon Shvut. In the army he became a tank commander. Not long after, he was chosen to lead a dorm of American students who came to study in Israel at Har Etzion.

Before the battle during which Syrian and Palestinian forces captured he and four fellow soldiers, he was nearly done his military service and was preparing to study psychology at Hebrew University. In 1982 he was also working for the Jewish Agency. Shortly before the fateful battle, he sent a postcard to his parents telling them, "don't worry, everything is okay, but it looks like I won't be home for a while."

In February 2011, the Born to Freedom foundation obtained a photo believe to be showing the body of Baumel atop a Syrian tank; nevertheless, he is still considered missing in action until further proof of his death arises.

Sources: Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Ynet; The International Coalition for Missing Israeli Soldiers