Sometime around 1910 near Pskov, Russian Empire, 17-year-old Rafoel Levin, learned that he was about to be conscripted into the Czar’s army. His sister, Sonya, had a steamship ticket to America. She gave him the ticket.
Rafoel arrived in the States and settled in the upper Midwest, where he became Ralph Lavine.
Ralph was my great-uncle. I adored him. Joe, my grandfather, soon followed him to the Midwest. Sonya, my great-aunt, then made her way to Ottoman Palestine with a Zionist group.
I always knew that we had relatives in Israel. The two branches of the family remained in
contact.
On Tuesday, Dec. 3, I attended a memorial service for Omer Neutra at the Midway Jewish Center in Syosset.
Omer, an all-American kid from Plainview, had been a tank commander in the Israeli Defense Forces. His unit responded to the Gaza border on Oct. 7, 2023.
It had been believed that Omer had been taken hostage on that day. From that moment on, his parents, Orna and Ronen, travelled worldwide to advocate for their son’s release.
Omer’s return, however, was not to be. On December 1, his family learned that he had been killed on Oct. 7.
I had met his parents several times. They, along with other American hostage families, fought tirelessly for their children’s return.
The memorial service was intensely moving. Omer’s friends described his wonderful nature and his love for Israel. His parents and brother Daniel remembered Omer with words of love, dedication, sorrow, and strength.
Rachel and Jon Goldberg-Polin, whose son Hersh had been abducted from the Nova Music Festival and subsequently murdered, were among the thousand mourners.
Reflecting on the gut-wrenching plight of Americans being held captive in Gaza, I began to realize that every American Jew of European descent likely has relatives in Israel.
While many may be unaware of these relationships, the fact remains that every European Jew whose family was able to escape from the Nazi ritualized slaughter left relatives behind in Russia, Poland, and every other European state.
Like my great-aunt Sonya, many found refuge in Israel.
While my own family may be unique in that we somehow maintained contact with Sonya’s children and their children, I strongly suspect that every Jewish American family tree has branches in Israel.
Omer’s death is a death in our own family. We best honor his memory by remaining steadfast in support for our sisters and brothers in Israel.
State Assembly Member Charles Lavine represents New York’s 13th Assembly District in Nassau County. He currently serves as chair of the Judiciary Committee and is also president of the New York Chapter of the National Association of Jewish Legislators and a member of its national board of directors.
