Charity basketball game held in NYC for IDF soldier who will be spending his birthday in captivity
NEW YORK — A charity basketball game was held in New York City on Sunday for an Israeli hostage from Long Island who will be spending his birthday this week in captivity.
Omer Neutra's family is raising money towards furthering their outreach to release Israeli hostages in Gaza.
"It's devastating and it's unfathomable"
At Ramaz Middle School on the Upper East Side, loved ones gathered to play the game the Plainview native loved most in shirts with his name and favorite number on them.
Family and friends know 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 just before his 22nd birthday last year.
"We're hoping he's OK and, I mean, there's a good chance he doesn't even know what day it is. He doesn't know that it's his birthday," said Daniel Neutra, Omer Neutra's brother.
"It's devastating and it's unfathomable that a 22-year-old is spending his time in the tunnels underneath Gaza for such a long time, and there's no outrage from the world and no demand for them to be released immediately," mother Orna Neutra said.
Orna Neutra last spoke with Omer Neutra on the eve of Oct. 7, 2023. She says he was expecting a quiet night with his Israeli Defense Forces team. He deferred his enrollment at SUNY Binghamton to join the IDF after high school.
"We are coming out of Yom Kippur, the holiest day for the Jewish people, and we are hoping that people around the world andin Israel have looked deep into their soul and understand that we have an emergency here," father Ronen Neutra said.
Money raised from tickets and t-shirts sold at Sunday's game are going towards the Neutra family's continued advocacy towards bringing hostages home.
"I try to imagine that he is still hopeful ... I keep him in my thoughts every day, and in my prayers," said Ari Kantorowitz, Omer Neutra's childhood friend and high school basketball teammate.
Omer Neutra's 23rd birthday is on Monday. His family says they plan to spend the day together, quietly.
