US-Israeli hostage’s family fights to keep American public interested in fellow citizen
Set to speak at Republican convention on Wednesday, Omer Neutra’s relatives say it’s a struggle to maintain media awareness of the 8 US citizens held by Hamas since Oct. 7 massacre
Reporter at The Times of Israel
NEW YORK — It has been over 280 days since Hamas terrorists kidnapped 22-year-old Omer Neutra, a dual American-Israeli citizen, from his army base near Kibbutz Nir Oz in southern Israel.
Omer was abducted during the October 7 onslaught, in which thousands of terrorists stormed southern Israel from Gaza, massacring 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping 251 to the Strip amid acts of horrific brutality.
For Omer’s family, it has been nine months of anguish, phone calls with elected officials, speaking at synagogues and Jewish community centers, and working to make sure no one forgets that Hamas is still holding 116 hostages — including eight Americans — in Gaza.
As Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar led a delegation to Cairo for further mediated deliberations on a hostage-for-ceasefire deal with Hamas, Omer’s mother Orna and father Ronen spoke with The Times of Israel on Zoom from their Plainville, New York, home about what they’ve experienced since October 7.
“It’s almost like drowning for nine months. It’s a helpless feeling. So we try to be active and strategic with everything we do. It’s day-to-day,” Ronen said.
Wearing a black t-shirt bearing Omer’s picture and the words “Bring Them Home,” Orna said it’s a continued challenge to get the mainstream media in the United States to pay attention to the plight of the hostages.
“The general news cycle makes it tougher and tougher,” Orna said.
Nevertheless, the Neutras are persisting.
“I pray our leaders do the right thing, but that we have to fight for his release is mind-blowing,” said Ronen. “The fact that our government, the Israeli government, has not made the hostage release the number one priority is beyond us and is unacceptable. We constantly have to fight together with the other hostage families for their release. It’s urgent; our children, our families are dying there.”
“We cannot stop the war until the hostages are home, otherwise we’ll never see our son. But any other actions needed [the total elimination of Hamas], the military can do later,” he added.
The Neutras last spoke with their son, who was a tank commander, on October 6, the day before the massacre. Footage from the day of the onslaught showed Hamas terrorists setting Omer’s armored vehicle ablaze and dragging him and his fellow soldiers from the tank. The Neutras have since met the families of the other three soldiers, two of whom were murdered on October 7.
Dual US-Israeli citizens, the Neutras moved from Israel to New York in 1999. Born one month after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Omer grew up in Plainview, where he attended Solomon Schechter Day School.
In 2020, Omer deferred his acceptance to Binghamton University, moved to Israel and enlisted as a lone soldier, after spending a year in Israel on an educational leadership program.
“Our son drafted himself, not because he had to, but because he wanted to,” Ronen said.
The choice was very much in character for Omer, his parents said.
Omer volunteered at the local community center and was captain of his high school basketball, volleyball, and soccer teams. He was also a leader with the United Synagogue Youth, the Conservative movement’s youth group.
During these past months, the Neutras have attended scores of events to highlight their son’s story and that of the other hostages. On July 7, they joined the New York Hostages and Missing Families Forum in Central Park, and next week they will fly to Wisconsin to speak at the Republican National Convention on Wednesday.
“So many kids crossed paths with Omer. He made connections with people really easily. Even if someone just met him for a brief moment, they felt like they knew him. He’d leave some part of him with you. He was always inclusive and funny. He drew a lot of people to him,” Orna said.
There was the time Omer ended up in the hospital after a teammate accidentally elbowed him in the eye.
“I just learned that Omer called the kid from his hospital bed and told him not to worry, that he wasn’t angry,” Ronen said.
And there was the soldier who attended officer training with Omer who told his parents that he looked for Omer every day during his recent deployment to Gaza.
“He’s a goofball and disarming on the one hand. On the other hand, he could also be a serious guy. He loves people and his passion is to make an impact,” Orna said.
Omer’s connection to Israel was also bolstered by the stories he heard growing up about his great-grandparents who survived the Holocaust.
Several months ago, Ronen started wearing a hostage ribbon pin that his sister Louise, a jewelry designer, made from the gold coins their Yugoslavian-born grandfather Yossef kept hidden during World War II. A trained mechanical engineer, Yossef joined the Yugoslav partisans in 1943. He kept a few gold coins “just in case,” according to a Bring Them Home Now post on X.
As they wait for news about hostage negotiations, Omer’s parents remain determined.
“So many Americans do not understand the scope of October 7; 45 Americans were slaughtered and there are still eight American hostages. Our job is to raise awareness about this humanitarian crisis facing all the hostages,” Ronen said.
