His first name roughly means “first crop,” which is what first-born son Omer was for Ronen and Orna Neutra 22 years ago.
The photos his family shares show a young man bursting with life and possibility, broad smiles at the community center where he volunteered after school, pictures with his father attending their beloved New York Knicks games, and a shot of him donning a Binghamton University athletic sweatshirt after being accepted to the New York College.
Omer Neutra never got that chance to attend Binghamton. He had decided to hold off for a year so he could serve in the Israeli army after spending a gap year in Israel. Then, everything changed on Oct. 7, 2023, when he went missing while serving as a tank commander near the Gaza border.
The last time his parents, both children of Holocaust survivors, spoke to him was just hours…
