Schechter Community Attends Shiva for Omer Neutra Z”L

by Corey Flyer, SSLI ‘26

This morning, high school students and faculty gathered at Midway Jewish Center to pay respects to the Neutra family at the Shiva in honor of Omer Neutra Z”L. While this was a devastating and somber day, high school students made a meaningful contribution by visiting the Neutra family during these challenging times.

May Omer’s memory forever be a blessing. (BringOmerHome Instagram)

Shir Levenson, a junior, was one of the many high school students who attended the Shiva this morning. She shared her experience and feelings about the Shiva: “The Shiva today was incredibly heartbreaking. We arrived early and sat down in the sanctuary while we waited to have a moment with the Neutras. Since we were such a large group, Orna, Ronen, and Daniel stood before us and spoke a bit about Omer.” 

Levenson continued: “Orna spoke about how important the Schechter community is and how much love her entire family has felt. She shared that the Schechter community is important during good and bad times, and right now they are living through the bad, painful times.” After both parents spoke, the high school students and attending faculty joined in reciting a prayer for mourning, ‘המקום ינחם אתכם.’”

Senior Yael Pedram shared her thoughts about this morning’s Shiva. “My experience at the Shiva today was definitely very touching. It meant a lot to hear the Neutra family talk about Omer and his experience at Schechter. I’m also very grateful that in such a difficult time, they were willing to talk to us about their son and give us insight into who he was even if we did not know him personally,” said Pedram. Pedram added, “I did not know Omer personally. However, through this past year, I feel like I’ve gotten to know him and his personality. I truly feel like the Schechter community has come together beautifully over this past year, and I’m grateful to be a part of the same community Omer was because he will forever be a hero."

Students and faculty listened to the Neutra family speak about Omer and his impact on the world. (J. Fineman)

Levenson also discussed her relationship with the Neutra family. She shared, “My family has known the Neutras since 2013 when we first moved to Long Island. They have been very involved members of Midway Jewish Center and are proud Schechter parents.” Omer was also a part of many Jewish organizations in which Levenson has participated. “Omer was involved in USY and went to Sprout Lake and Ramah, camps that members of my family still attend. Omer was such an integral part of these communities, so this loss hurts immensely,” said Levenson. 

Students and faculty comforted the Neutra family during this challenging time. (J. Fineman)

After meeting with the Neutra family, students were guided into a second room where Asaf, an IDF soldier, spoke. The soldier who spoke to the students had the difficult role of delivering the devastating news of Omer’s death to the Neutra family. He spoke to the students about the role he has taken since October 7. He explained that he is an advocate for the Neutra family and serves as a source of comfort and advocacy. Pedram shared her takeaway from hearing from the IDF soldier: “Hearing the soldier’s story was both inspiring and heartbreaking. I can’t even begin to comprehend how difficult this must have been not only for the Neutra family, but for him as well. He has spent so much time fighting for them, and he had to break this terrible news to them.”

Omer Neutra will forever be remembered as a hero. He has had a profound impact on all of those around him, and anyone who had the privilege of knowing him is extremely lucky. It is crucial that we continue to fight for the safe return of the hostages and continue to pray for the safety of the State of Israel. Omer’s legacy will live on, and he will forever serve as a symbol of bravery, heroism, and strength throughout the world.

 זכרונו לברכה

 May his memory forever be a blessing.

Corey Flyer is a writer for Paw Print Now and has been published on the site since December 2022. Corey is currently a junior at Schechter School of Long Island and can be reached at the following email address: cflyer26@schechterli.org.