NEW YORK — A charity basketball game was held in New York City on Sunday an Israeli hostage from Long Island who will spend his birthday in captivity this week.
Omer Neutra’s family is raising money to further their efforts to release Israeli hostages in Gaza.
‘It’s devastating and unfathomable’
At Ramaz Middle School on the Upper East Side, loved ones gathered to play the game the Plainview resident loved most, wearing shirts with his name and favorite number on them.
Family and friends know it Omer Neutra for lifting the spirits of those around him, but they haven’t been able to be there for him for over a year since he was captured by Hamas last year just before his 22nd birthday.
“We hope he’s doing well, and I mean, there’s a good chance he doesn’t even know what day it is. He doesn’t know it’s his birthday,” said Daniel Neutra, Omer Neutra’s brother.
“It is devastating and unfathomable that a 22-year-old spends so much time in the tunnels under Gaza, and there is no outrage from the world and no demand for their immediate release,” said mother Orna Neutra. .
Orna Neutra last spoke to Omer Neutra on the eve of October 7, 2023. She says he expected a quiet night with his Israeli Defense Forces team. He postponed his enrollment at SUNY Binghamton to join the IDF after high school.
“We are coming off Yom Kippur, the holiest day for the Jewish people, and we hope that people around the world and in Israel have looked deep into their souls and understand that we have an emergency here,” Father Ronen Neutra said.
Money raised from tickets and T-shirts sold at Sunday’s game will go toward the Neutra family’s ongoing pleas to bring hostages home.
“I try to imagine that he is still hopeful…I keep him in my thoughts and prayers every day,” said Ari Kantorowitz, Omer Neutra’s childhood friend and high school basketball teammate.
Omer Neutra turns 23 on Monday. His family says they plan to spend the day quietly together.
