MILWAUKEE – At 21 years old, Israeli-American Omer Neurtra was taken hostage on Oct. 7.
Orna and Ronen Neutra, Omer’s parents, came to the Republican National Convention on Wednesday, July 17, sharing their stories to raise awareness for the eight American hostages held in Gaza, with a call to bring them home.
Before heading inside the convention’s perimeters to spread their message, the couple spoke in the morning at Congregation Shalom in Fox Point.
“We as Americans have a responsibility to bring home our American hostages,” said hostage advocate Liz Hirsh Naftali, while facilitating the talk featuring Omer’s parents on stage at Congregation Shalom. She said the “purpose” of the Neutras’ speeches at the convention, scheduled for later that day, would be to help Americans understand that.
The Neutras moved to the United States from Israel in 1999. Omer was born in 2001 in New York City and was raised on Long Island.
“This is my child,” Orna said. “He’s an American citizen. He was born here. He grew up here. Bring Omer home. Bring all the hostages home.”
Naftali said leaders for the United States, Israel and Hamas need to make a deal to bring all the hostages home, and it is “the American government’s obligation” to bring home the American hostages.
“Eight fellow Americans are being held in Gaza,” Ronen said. “Not too many Americans know that. They need to know it, and our leaders are not speaking about it as much as they should.”
Ronen acknowledged and expressed appreciation for President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris’ listening to them, but he said “our son’s not back yet. That’s the bottom line.”
Naftali pointed out that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu had not met with the families of American hostages, but that there were plans to change that. The families of the American hostages were invited to attend Netanyahu’s address in Washington, D.C., set for late July.
“I believe being in the room to hear him speak is important,” Naftali said. “But I think it’s also really important for him to be in the room so he can hear us speak.”
She said they put out a request to speak with him but had not heard back.
As of their appearances on July 17, there was no plan for the three to attend the Democratic National Convention set for Aug. 19-22. Naftali said they were focusing right now on the Republican National Convention and the meeting with Netanyahu. They emphasized that they are non-partisan and want to speak with anybody who will listen.
After speaking at Congregation Shalom, the three of them sat down in the afternoon for a press conference with Omer’s of Concerned Women for America, beside a decorated bus that the group had parked outside at the convention. Concerned Women for America is a legislative action committee dedicated to Biblical values and Constitutional principles, according to its website.
Later that night, the Neutras shared their story on the stage at the Fiserv Forum, where they led a “bring them home” chant.
Naftali is the great aunt of Abigail Mor Edan, who was taken hostage on Oct. 7 at 3 years old. Abigail was released 51 days after she was taken hostage due to an agreement between Hamas and Israel, but Omer has still not returned.
“We all feel that we have quite a lot of support, and a lot of them are giving us that warm, fuzzy feeling,” said Ronen. “It’s not enough at this point. We need action. We need pressure on all the partners and players.”
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American hostages in Gaza
This is the list of eight American hostages believed to be still held in Gaza.
Edan Alexander: 20-year-old American member of the Israel Defense Forces. Recently graduated high school in New Jersey.
Itay Chen: 19-year-old American member of the Israel Defense Forces. Played basketball and was a fan of the NBA.
Sagui Dekel-Chen: 35-year-old American husband and father to three children.
Hersh Goldberg-Polin: 23-year-old Chicago native who attended the Nova music festival on Oct. 7.
Omer Neurtra: 22-year-old American member of the Israel Defense Forces. Grew up on Long Island, in New York.
Keith Seigel: 64-year-old North Carolina native. Moved from the U.S. to Israel 40 years ago.
Gad Haggai: 73-year-old musician and retired chef. Killed by Hamas and body remains in Gaza.
Judy Weinstein: 70-year-old English and mindfulness teacher. Killed by Hamas and body remains in Gaza.
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