Welcome to POLITICO’s West Wing Playbook, your guide to the people and power centers in the Biden administration. With help from producer Ben Johansen. Send tips | Subscribe here | Email Myah | Email Lauren| Email Lawrence It’s been two agonizing weeks since Long Island residents RONEN and ORNA NEUTRA last spoke with their son, OMER, one of the Americans held hostage by Hamas. Last Saturday, they celebrated his 22nd birthday without him. They lit candles, watching them melt into the cake while they prayed. The Neutras, dual U.S.-Israeli citizens, left Israel in 1999 amid surging violence, moving to New York City. Omer, the grandson of Holocaust survivors, was born just a month after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. His parents raised him in Long Island, where he went to Jewish day school. After high school, Omer told them he wanted to spend time in the place they had left behind. He deferred acceptance to Binghamton University and moved to Israel. President JOE BIDEN has vowed to continue to do everything in his power to bring American hostages home. And on Friday, he confirmed Hamas’ release of two U.S. citizens, a mother and daughter. The Neutras say they’ll continue to share Omer’s story — to ensure the urgency of the moment doesn’t fade. This conversation has been edited for length and clarity. Tell me about your son’s decision to go to Israel. Orna: He wanted to experience his family, and he joined an educational leadership program that really brought him close to his Israeli peer group. [While there] he came to an understanding that his Israeli peers don’t have the choice that he has [at 18, all Israeli men are required to join the military for 32 months]. And he felt responsible, and that he needed to share in protecting the country and the people. It was during a Covid year, his program shut down and he came home. He was really struggling with this. He went back and decided he wanted to join the army. Ronen: Being the leader that he is, he quickly went up in the ranks. He was posted on the Gaza border to protect the Kibbutzim and the villages, a very agricultural area, with a very small group of soldiers that were under his supervision. Tell me about that last day you spoke with him. Orna: It was Shabbat in Israel, so we always speak. This was after a month around the Jewish holidays in Israel, and there was a lot of trouble along the border. It seemed that it was quieting down, which now we know was just a facade. It was a regular conversation, and he said, “OK, we’ll talk tomorrow.” And six hours later, we were about to go to sleep, and Ronen opened the news and was like, “Oh my god.” We tried to call him immediately, and he didn’t answer. It was a sleepless night. What do you know now about what happened to Omer? Ronen: We knew pretty early on that he was probably taken, but it was that first Sunday night that a representative from the Israeli consulate knocked on our door and gave us an official notification that Omer is considered captive. As we know today, his small group was attacked. Later, there was footage that was posted by Hamas that our son and his team were pulled out of a tank in good condition and were taken as part of the close to 200 hostages. What have these two weeks been like for you? Orna: Every day has been like five days. It has turned our whole world upside down, and this has become our full-time job: To make sure it stays front and center — that Omer’s story is told. How have you felt about the president’s response? Ronen: Biden has been very responsive. We were invited to a Zoom call with President Biden and all 14 families. We were very impressed with the hour and 15 minutes that he gave us. Originally it should have been 10-15 minutes. He insisted on listening to us and sharing some details about his personal grief and dealing with situations like this. Orna: And many other officials and dignitaries have reached out to us. Sen. Chuck Schumer, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, Gov. Kathy Hochul, Mayor Eric Adams, Rep. Ritchie Torres, Rep. Bruce Blakeman — I’m afraid we’re going to forget someone, but everyone has been on top of this. Even President Trump gave us a personal phone call. How often is the U.S. government updating you on the efforts to get your son home? Ronen: The State Department together with the FBI created a team of experts. Each one of the hostages has its own team. This team is reaching out to us almost on a daily basis, some in conference calls, some individual. Some of it is obviously sensitive material, but we feel that there is a great sense of urgency on the government’s side. Is there anything more you want to see from the U.S. government? Ronen: To some degree. There’s a lot of pressure on Israel to allow a humanitarian corridor from Egypt with supplies there to help the Palestinian population get what they need. I get it, there is great humanitarian need. We understand and sympathize with the people and all the families there, but we ask our leaders and politicians to use every leverage possible to get information — get a list of the people, their condition, let the Red Cross see them. And then, of course, work together with the international community to get them released. What do you want to say to the people reading this? Orna: We realize that the world is moving on — there’s constantly new news. We need it to stay front and center until it’s resolved. We want to bring them home. Ronen: If anybody thinks that what happened in Gaza is a local event, I think they need to listen very carefully to what President Biden said last night. Don’t think that what happens there stays there. 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