Friend and cousin of kidnapped US-Israeli IDF soldier immigrate to Israel, prepare for army service

Omer Neutra was born and raised in a Jewish family on Long Island, New York. After completing high school, he decided to join the Upper Galilee Preparatory School in Israel for one year before enlisting in the Israeli military.

When Hamas invaded southern Israel on Oct. 7, Neutra was a tank soldier stationed on the Gaza border. Hamas terrorists killed two of his tankmates and abducted their bodies, along with his comrade Nimrod Cohen and himself, into the Gaza Strip.

“A few days before he was kidnapped, we spoke on the phone,” Maya Chen, his friend from Long Island, told Ynet News.

“He told me about his experience at the prep school – how much it had a positive effect on him. Thanks to this conversation and other conversations with Omer, I decided to make the effort and come to Israel,” she said.

Together with her, Neutra’s second cousin Amit Bueno also decided to join Neutra's former prep school before enlisting in the IDF.

“We are second cousins, so we happened to meet for meals at my grandmother’s. Omer’s choice to go to prep school was inspiring to me. He also gave up college and chose to enlist,” said Bueno.

“It pains me to think that he sacrificed himself for the country - and now he is abandoned. I also want to be in a significant role in the IDF, and that gnaws at me,” she added.

Chen wrestled with the decision to come to Israel but, in the end, decided to do so wholeheartedly.

“We are dealing with a lot of uncertainty. Even this week, which is our second week in prep school, only started on Monday after the escalation on Sunday.”

“On Long Island, Omer and the Neutra family were our family, we would do every Shabbat together, every holiday,” Chen recalled.

“Omer and his brother would perform for us on Passover, teaching us things about Judaism and Israel. Omer is the most Israeli there is.”

Video footage showing Hamas terrorists and Gazan civilians rejoicing on top of and around a burnt IDF tank on Oct. 7 quickly became one of the most poignant symbols of the IDF's failures that day.

The tank belonged to Neutra and his comrades. Two weeks ago, their parents decided to release the full footage of their kidnapping on Israel’s Channel 12 News. 

Neutra’s parents addressed the Republican National Convention in July, telling the crowds that former U.S. President Donald Trump “stands with the American hostages.” 

“During the brutal October 7 attack on Israel, over 1,200 people were slaughtered – of them, 45 were American citizens,” Neutra's father, Ronen, stated. “Where is the outrage? This was not merely an attack on Israel. This was and remains an attack on Americans.” 

In July, Ronen and his wife Orna told the Times of Israel it had been a continuous challenge to keep the story of the hostages’ plight atop news headlines in the United States.

“The general news cycle makes it tougher and tougher,” said Orna.

“It’s almost like drowning for nine months. It’s a helpless feeling. So we try to be active and strategic with everything we do. It’s day-to-day," Ronen added.