Omer Neutra, a lone soldier from New York, the grandson of a Holocaust survivor and an avid sports fan, was eventually brought to Israel for a formal funeral.
Captain Omar Neutra, 21, was killed in the Oct. 7 massacre and his body was transported to the Gaza Strip by Hamas and eventually brought back to Israel on Sunday night.
The revelation of the intelligence information allowed a special military commission of rabbis, scientists and lawyers to finally confirm his death some 14 months later, despite long-standing suspicions that he was dead.
Neutra was a lone soldier from New York who served as a tank platoon leader in the 77th Battalion, 7th Brigade. He deferred his enrollment at Binghamton University to join the Israel Defense Forces with Garin Chabal.
On 7 October, he was kidnapped along with the tank crew and taken to the Gaza Strip. Tank gunner Nimrod Cohen, a member of Neutra’s crew, was released last week after more than 736 days in captivity.
Omar loves sports, playing football, basketball and volleyball and serving as captain of the school’s sports teams.
Ronan and Ona Neutra are the parents of Israeli-American hostage Omar Neutra. (Source: Luke Trace)
The park in his memory
After his death, Neutra’s hometown of Plainview, New York, built a park in the town complete with a basketball court. One of his lifelong passions was basketball, and he was a die-hard Knicks fan. He often wore basketball legend Kobe Bryant’s number: 24.
Neutra loved his cats Ronni and Lizi. Those closest to him knew him as a “smiley goofball” and said he gave “powerful hugs.”
The forum added: “His family and friends described him as a warm, optimistic man who loved his people and ‘lit up a room when he came in’.”
Neutra is well known for her love of summer camp, having attended and held leadership roles at several camps including, but not limited to, Sprout Lake, Camp Tel Yehud and Camp Ramah in Nyack, and participated in USY on Wheels.
He is the grandson of a Holocaust survivor, which instilled in him a strong sense of responsibility to defend Israel and serve the Jewish people. This deeply motivated him to join the Israel Defense Forces as a lone soldier.
“Neitra’s bravery and sacrifice will never be forgotten,” Garin Tzabar, the program in which Neutra enlisted, said of Neutra.
The program further stated: “We will continue to demand that Omar be brought home to rest in the land he fought to defend. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends and loved ones during this unimaginable time.”
