Long Island teens remember fallen Israeli soldier Omer Neutra as a friend and role model

This article was produced as part of JTA’s Teen Journalism Fellowship, a program that works with Jewish teens around the world to report on issues that affect their lives.

Few areas outside of Israel felt the sting of Omer Neutra’s death as personally as the Long Island Jewish community where he grew up.

Neutra, an Israeli soldier whose death on Oct. 7, 2023, was confirmed earlier this week by the Israeli military, was a graduate of the Schechter School of Long Island, an active participant in the USY and Tzofim Jewish youth groups, and a member of the Midway Jewish Center in Syosset, New York. 

This week, area teens who knew him as a friend and role model — and who advocated for his release when he was still presumed to be alive as a hostage in Gaza — instead came out to mourn him.

“This hits so close to home because he was one of us. He attended our schools, went to our camps, did the same programs as us,” said Sarah Shlefstein, 16, a Schechter student. “He was one of us.”

A memorial service held on Tuesday at the Midway Jewish Center brought together people from all stages of Neutra’s life, including many teenagers and young adults, all mourning his death in the same sanctuary where he marked becoming bar mitzvah.

Hundreds of teenage students from Jewish day schools across the tristate area attended Neutra’s shiva this week, held at the synagogue. Students from the Schechter School of Long Island, the Frisch School in New Jersey and the Leffell School in Westchester County were in attendance on Thursday, attempting to comfort the mourning Neutra family. Other schools including the Heschel School in Manhattan also sent busloads of students.

Shlefstein, who attended both the shiva and memorial, said her older brother, Joshua, had been good friends with Neutra since kindergarten. She attended rallies, including one in Washington, D.C., to call for the release of the hostages held by Hamas and to remember other victims of the war. 

“Going to these rallies gave me a sense of hope and community that I was not alone fighting and pleading for the immediate release of the hostages,” Shlefstein said. After the announcement of Omer’s death, she feels heartbroken, explaining that she, and the entire community, feel distraught. 

“When I first heard about the news, I was initially shocked, and then I took a few minutes to myself just to process the situation,” said Mikey Benlevi, a student from Roslyn, New York and a close family friend of the Neutras. “I asked my dad if he had heard the news, and once I heard he had, I gave him a hug. I felt despair and powerless at the same time.” 

“There’s a hole in all of our hearts and a sense of somberness in the school,” added Benlevi. “We are all in shock and utterly heartbroken.”

Neutra, who was 21 on Oct. 7, was the son of Israeli parents and grew up on Long Island. Following his graduation from Schechter, he moved to Israel and enlisted in the military. He was serving as a tank commander on the Gaza border during the assault by Hamas and died while leading his tank crew. He was posthumously promoted to the rank of captain. 

Neutra was one of seven American hostages believed to be held by Hamas as of this month. His parents, Orna and Ronen, dedicated the last 14 months advocating for his release, meeting with global leaders and advocates, and speaking at the 2024 Republican National Convention. 

Neutra’s kindness and leadership left a lasting impression on all those around him, said Corey Flyer, a junior at Schechter. 

“I first met Omer at a USY event where he was my counselor. It was my first event, and I didn’t know many people, so I was pretty nervous. But when I started talking to Omer, he immediately put me at ease. Even though we’d never met before, our conversations felt like we were old friends,” Flyer said. 

The teen was touched by Neutra’s attention, and inspired by his example.

“Almost all of us have met Omer personally, and if not, are well-versed with his story and with the type of hero he was. There is a hole in all of our hearts and a sense of sombreness in the school. We are all in shock and utterly heartbroken by Omer’s death,” Flyer said. 

Students who spoke to JTA mentioned their shared sense of grief and sorrow. “We now know it is too late for Omer to come home alive, but there are still over 50 living hostages, and now is the time to bring them home,” Schechter’s Shlefstein said. 

Neutra’s ordeal has galvanized the community into action. Ben Handell, an active member of Midway Jewish Center, became deeply involved in the “Run For Their Lives” running group that raised awareness for the hostages. 

“Every Shabbat, I couldn’t help but wonder: What is he thinking in this very moment in the tunnels of Gaza? Only now do we know — he wasn’t thinking of anything. He was already long gone,” Handell said. Neutra’s empty chair on the synagogue’s bimah, draped in his tallit, was a poignant reminder of the loss during Shabbat services.

Josh Juryta, the head of athletics at Schechter, reflected on Neutra’s impact as a student-athlete. “He was the captain of the basketball, volleyball and soccer teams,” Juryta said. “I coached him for three years, and he was an incredible leader both on and off the court.”

The school’s athletic teams have honored Neutra in various ways. The girls’ volleyball team created a banner that reads, “We Play for Omer,” and hung it up in the school gym. The team also has worn ribbons with the words “Bring Them Home” to their games. The boys’ basketball team placed hostage posters on their bench during games to raise awareness. 

“He inspired everyone who knew him,” Jurysta said. 

Despite the grief, the community’s resolve to honor Neutra’s memory and press for peace remains strong. “Many now feel a sense of urgency to advocate for peace and bring the rest of the hostages home,” Shlefstein said.