US-Israeli killed by Hamas on Oct 7 honored at NY memorial service
In a memorial service held on Long Island, New York on Tuesday, American-Israeli Omer Neutra was honored as a “hero of Israel.”
Until earlier this week, Neutra was thought to be alive, as his body had never been retrieved. However, on Monday, the Israeli military announced that he had died fighting Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7 of last year and that his body had been taken into Gaza.
The memorial service was held at the synagogue where Neutra had celebrated his bar mitzvah. Several of his family members spoke at the service.
“We were told Omer gave courageous commands to other soldiers and saved their lives,” Neutra's father Ronen said. Omer, who served as a tank platoon commander, “rushed with his team to protect the border with their tanks, with their bodies.”
“His memory must be a blessing,” he continued. “Rest in peace my boy, my beautiful son. We will never forget you, hero of Israel.”
Neutra's mother Orna said she “pled for a sign of life,” but “didn’t get any. Instead, we received signs of hope and love from all over the world.”
His brother Daniel said the family would keep fighting for the release of the hostages, and that while it was “too late” for Omer, “it was not in vain.”
“The greatest honor we can give to him is to rescue the people he gave his life to protect, and [we] must continue his life’s work and keep serving life,” Daniel said.
The All Israel News Staff is a team of journalists in Israel.
