Hiltzik Strategies reposted this
On October 9th, 2023, I was fortunate to be introduced to the Neutra family by a mutual friend to see if I could be helpful to them as they faced the unknown of having their oldest son Omer kidnapped by Hamas. It has been an extraordinary honor for my Hiltzik Strategies team and I to provide Omer's parents Orna and Ronen and his brother Daniel with pro bono strategic communications and other personal and political counsel and support during this unspeakable ordeal. Remarkably, they consistently give others strength despite the toll this has taken on them. Omer Neutra,* born in October 2001 in New York City, is a U.S. citizen and Long Island resident who has been held hostage in Gaza by Hamas for over ten months. At 22, he is a vibrant individual who graduated from Solomon Schechter High School, was accepted into Binghamton University, but chose to spend a gap year in Israel and joined the IDF. Known for his leadership, sports achievements, and musical interests, Omer is a heroic IDF first responder who risked his life on October 7th to protect residential villages at the Gaza border. While previously private and apolitical, the Neutras have worked tirelessly over the past ten months traveling to the United States, Israel, and elsewhere in the world doing everything in their power to bring Omer home. We have thankfully received significant support from elected officials and others in New York, Washington D.C. and beyond, but we would be grateful for everyone's help in amplifying awareness about Omer – especially during this challenging week. On Monday, the Neutras and three other families approved the release of a Hamas video showing Omer and tank mates being captured (and others who were killed by the terrorists) https://lnkd.in/gevNFBw6 As Orna recently said, “We pray as though everything depends on God, but we act as though the outcome depends on our actions.” Let’s lead by her example, and bring Omer and the rest of the hostages home, now. Please join me as we continue this initiative of making sure these hostage families know that _they are not alone, and we have not forgotten about their loved ones._ It's very simple. All you need to do is: 1. Go to the @bringomerhome account on IG: https://lnkd.in/g5bCzdvD 2. Follow the account if you aren't already following 3. Choose one of the posts on their page to share in a story or on your page with the hashtag #bringomerhome and #bringthemhomenow The idea is to drive traffic and awareness to Omer's page and story. If we all do it together, there will be a greater impact. We hope that this initiative (launched by friends) will be short lived because they will all be home soon, but want to use the power of our networks to provide moral support to the hostage families.