Torah dedicated to Omer Neutra, Plainview native killed in Hamas attack on Israel

Hundreds gathered at the Midway Jewish Center of Syosset on Sunday morning to dedicate a Torah scroll in memory of Omer Neutra, a Plainview native who was killed in the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks.

Neutra’s family spent months praying for the safe return of their 21-year-old son, who was a platoon commander with the Israel Defense Forces, until news broke on Dec. 2 that he had been killed in the Hamas attacks more than a year earlier.

“Omer gave so much and had so much left to give. We are only beginning to grasp our new realities,” said Neutra’s mother, Orna Neutra, who emigrated to the United States from Israel 25 years ago.

Omer Neutra was set to attend Binghamton University after a gap year in Israel, a childhood friend previously told Newsday. Instead, he joined the IDF and became a platoon commander, serving in the 7th Armored Brigade’s 77th Battalion on the Gaza border. His body is still being held captive.

Family, friends and Jewish community members on Sunday described a young man with a long-standing commitment to his Judaism and Israel.

Joel Levenson, Neutra’s rabbi, played a 2017 recording of the young man in which he described Israel as his favorite country. 

“May this Torah inspire us all. May Omer’s memory be a blessing,” said Tracy Slavsky, president of Midway Jewish Center.

Rabbi Zerach Greenfield inscribed a Torah scroll to be placed in the synagogue in honor of Neutra: “Hero of Israel. … Who fell in battle and was taken hostage,” the inscription read.

Long Island’s Shireinu Choir took the stage on Sunday morning, dressed in black and wearing tag necklaces similar to those worn by IDF soldiers.

“It’s just so cruel that [the Neutras] were going all around the world trying to help release hostages, including Omer… Our mission now is to get Omer’s body back,” Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman told Newsday. “I have a responsibility as a Jew to comport myself in a way that gives honor and pride to the Jewish people.”

The Midway Jewish Center announced a memorial scholarship fund in Neutra’s name, which in part will fund trips to Israel for the center’s high school students.

“Omer chose the state of Israel over his life,” said Stav Cohen, an IDF spokesman. “He died doing what he loved.”

The war in Gaza, started by Hamas’ attack that killed 1,200 people and took 250 others hostage, has killed more than 47,000 Palestinians, according to local health authorities, who do not differentiate between fighters and noncombatants in their count.

“We’re going to miss Omer forever. … Right now, we have a duty to bring him home for a proper burial,” said Neutra’s father, Ronen.

The elder Neutra closed with a message to Israeli and American politicians: “Bring all the hostages home, and then take care of Hamas and the future of Gaza.”

With AP