“Here we are all together again, after two and a half years, our longest ever time apart. And I can’t even give you a hug, just look at a box. So close but so far." Captain Omer Neutra, may his memory be a blessing, who was returned this week, was laid to rest today at the Kiryat Shaul military cemetery. Daniel, Omer Neutra's brother: "Earlier this week my friend asked if you will be buried in New York. It’s a reasonable question. In that first moment when you chose to leave America behind and enlist, I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of sadness knowing that you wouldn’t be near me. But something deep inside you yearned for this place, deeper than I even knew at the time. And beyond that, you couldn’t bear to watch others take on a burden without helping them carry it. This is not the first funeral we’ve held for you. Almost a year ago we had one in New York, the day after we were told you had died. Like your bar mitzvah, we did one there and one here. In life and in death, you are the bridge that connects our community across the world. My wish for you and for your legacy is that you remain that bridge. There’s an enormous and ever-growing list of all I want to tell you Omer, but not all of it can be said before a crowd of thousands. After two years, I finally have a place to have a private word with you, where I don’t need a microphone. And it’s not enough to fill that missing piece, but it’s better than shouting in the void. So for now I’ll just say: Thank you. You can rest now. You’re home.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​“ Photo credit: Pauilna Patimer