Statement from JCRC-NY on the Return of the Remains of Omer Neutra, New Yorker who Died at Age 21.

NEW YORK, NY (11/03/2025) (readMedia)-- JCRC-NY is relieved to learn of the return of the remains of Omer Neutra, a young man born and raised on Long Island who was killed by Hamas on October 7. While our hearts remain heavy with grief, his return brings his family and our community some amount of solace.

Omer embodied the best of New York - devoted to his family, his community, and to the values of service and responsibility that he learned by attending Jewish institutions such as the Schechter School of Long Island and Camp Ramah. His decision to serve in the IDF reflected the same pride in his Jewish identity and his courage and commitment that define so many young Jewish New Yorkers who seek to make a difference in the world.

Since October 7, JCRC-NY has been working with the Hostages and Missing Families Forum to advocate for his and all of the hostages' return. Orna and Ronen Neutra, Omer's parents, and his brother Daniel, have tirelessly advocated for the return of their son and all of the hostages, reminding leaders at major community-wide rallies in Albany and Washington, D.C., of the several Americans who remained in Gaza. After the world learned in December 2024 that Omer had been tragically killed on October 7, his parents bravely spoke at JCRC-NY's Congressional Breakfast, held at UJA-Federation of New York, memorializing their son and once again sounding the call for leaders to do everything in their power to bring their son, and all of the American hostages, home.

As a city and community, we share the sorrow of the Neutra family. Their strength and perseverance have inspired New Yorkers and people around the world. In our grief, we also pray for the return of the bodies of the eight remaining deceased hostages and are relieved that the bodies of Asaf Hamami and Oz Daniel have also been returned home.

May Omer's memory forever be a blessing, and may his return home bring some measure of peace to his family, his friends, and the extended New York community that has kept his name in our hearts since the day he was taken.

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JCRC-NY, a proud partner of UJA-Federation of New York, serves as the primary community relations agency for the Jewish community in the metropolitan New York area. As an active force in New York civic and communal life, JCRC-NY operates as a central coordinating and resource body with a mission to build relationships to advance the values, interests, and security of the Jewish community and to create a more interconnected New York for all.