A memorial service was held today (Tuesday) in Syossett, New York for Long Island native Omer Neutra, who was killed while fighting in Israel during the October 7th Hamas attack and whose body has been held in Gaza for more than a year.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul, who attended the memorial service together with Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, and family members of other hostages from both the US and Israel, ordered that flags in the state be flown at half-staff today in honor of Omer.
"Flags at State buildings are flying at half-staff in honor of Omer Neutra, a young New Yorker whose life was horrifically cut short by Hamas on October 7," Hochul wrote on X.
"We join his loved ones in mourning his loss & demanding his body be returned to his family. May his memory be a blessing," she added.
Rabbi Joel Levinson, Rabbi of Midway Jewish Center, opened the memorial ceremony, “We prayed, and we davened and we sounded the shofar to crash the heavens, and we lit extra shabbat candles, and we wanted a different end to this story.”
Friends of Orna said, “Being the friendly, high achieving boy that he is, Omer got deeply involved in many endeavors, among them sports, friends, USY, mechina, and finally the Israel Defense Forces. Along his journey, he became etched on the hearts of many. Omer was tough, but always good natured. He was both mature and silly at the same time. Omer was a leader and a role model to the crew. Our sweet Omer, you are not in the tunnels, you are resting in peace.”
A friend of Omer says, “Omer was unbelievably insightful. I always wanted to hear his perspective. He challenged himself and constantly learned more and was willing to share that knowledge with those around him. Omer inspired us without trying to be inspiring and he had the innate ability to make the mundane special. For Omer life was about sharing experiences and joy with others. He truly embodied every Jewish value that a parent would want their child to encompass. Thanks to Omer we will live every day with courage strength and compassion.”
Orna, Omer’s mother, said, “For a whole year waking up from sleepless nights, I repeated the modeh ani twice every morning, once for myself and once for you. I pled for a sign of life; I didn’t get any.”
"My strong smiley boy. I pled for a sign of life. I didn't get any. Instead, we received signs of hope and love from all over the world. Your void is big whole in my stomach. Our beautiful boy, so much love and innocence," she said.
Ronen, Omer’s father, said, “How do you speak about your son, who you’ve been fighting for fourteen months, hoping praying he survives the most horrible conditions on earth. I am losing all the words. Our struggle, our fight has changed gear. We see closure and rest to Omer. We will make sure his memory will live on.”
"We spoke about you in so many places. Telling Omer's story. The hostages story. We called on world leaders, to countries leaders to save Omer, to save the others. We were told Omer gave courageous commands to other soldiers and saved their lives. Omer you are a hero. Omer decided to serve. It's my turn to show my love to Israel in actions and not just in words, Omer said. His memory must be a blessing. Rest in peace my boy, my beautiful son. We will never forget you גיבור ישראל (trans. 'Hero of Israel')," he said.
Daniel, Omer's brother, said, "There are families that can still be saved. The greatest honor we can give Omer is to save the life of people he gave his life to protect."