In total, 409 days have passed since the murder of Judi Weinstein in Israel. Yet in the mind of her daughter Iris Weinstein Haggai, all those hours spent seem like one long day with no end. A day that will only end when Ottawa repatriates the remains of her mother, the only Canadian citizen to have been held hostage by Hamas.
Posted at 12:00 a.m.
On October 7, 2023, Judi Weinstein notified her family. As she walks quietly with her partner Gadi Haggai, she hears a rain of missiles sweeping over Nir Oz, their kibbutz located less than two kilometers from Gaza, in Israel. This is the last sign of life that the couple will give.
It was on social networks, through Hamas publications, that Iris Weinstein Haggai learned that Hamas had kidnapped one of her friends and her two children. She understands that the village in which she grew up is completely devastated. Nearly half of the houses there were burned.
“I lost 117 important people in my life that day. It was a real nightmare,” recalls Mme Weinstein Haggai, in interview with The Press.
After 83 painful days of anguish, the Israeli secret services confirmed the worst to him: the death of his parents. While they were lying on their stomachs to protect themselves, the two septuagenarians were shot by motorcyclists.
PHOTO SERGEY PONOMAREV, ARCHIVES THE NEW YORK TIMES
Charred cars in Kibbutz Nir Oz which borders the Gaza Strip, Israel, a few days after the Hamas attack of October 7, 2023
Iris Weinstein Haggai knows this because she was able to hear a call made by her mother to the emergency services, shortly before her death.
“She was shot in the face and arm. She wanted to be saved. But that didn’t happen because the paramedics were also shot,” says M.me Weinstein Haggai, emotional.
Judi Weinstein grew up in Canada, in Toronto. His family, of Jewish faith, wishes to bury him to complete their mourning. His partner Gadi Haggai is of American nationality.
We will not be able to assimilate his death until we can see his tombstone. I can’t explain his death to my 8 year old daughter. It will be impossible to understand as long as my mother’s body remains there.
Iris Weinstein Haggai
“To know that his body is lying somewhere in Gaza, rotting, it’s just horrible. Bringing her back here is only a question of human dignity,” she continues.
Putting pressure on Ottawa
Hoping to put pressure on Ottawa, Iris Weinstein Haggai met with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as well as Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly.
“I wanted them to look me in the eyes, to say my mother’s name, and they did. But I can’t say they gave me any hope of bringing my mother home. We are no longer at the stage of words, I want to see concrete actions from them. »
PHOTO SERGEY PONOMAREV, THE NEW YORK TIMES
Rubble of a burned house in Kibbutz Nir Oz a few days after the Hamas attack of October 7, 2023
Former Canadian ambassador to Egypt and Indonesia Ferry de Kerckhove is convinced: Canada “will do the impossible” to repatriate the remains of Judi Weinstein, if it is possible to locate them.
“In any case, I would plead with the Canadian consular service to achieve this if I were still ambassador, and I would probably succeed,” he assures, in an interview with The Press. I believe that Canada has a duty of repatriation in his case. »
It will be possible to come to an agreement with Hamas, believes Ferry de Kerckhove, since the organization “bargains everything”, and has already delivered hostages from other countries.
However, it will be necessary to obtain help from an intermediary country to achieve this, explains the man who has already ensured the repatriation of many Canadians during his career.
“Qatar has had difficulty repatriating hostages, I think they are fed up, so it could be complicated with them. But Egypt would certainly listen, and so would Israel. There is a way to make things happen, I am convinced. »
Trying to take justice
While waiting for the repatriation of her mother’s remains, Iris Weinstein Haggai is trying to get justice for herself.
She has filed several lawsuits, including one against a wide range of terrorist organizations like Hamas and Samidoun, under the Canada’s Justice for Victims of Terrorism Act. Along with the families of other victims, she is demanding $350 million from them.
Beyond that, she is fighting another fight. She wants most Canadians to remember Judi Weinstein, so that her death is not in vain.
“Several of them still don’t know that one of their own is still being held hostage,” she laments. We are experiencing a huge humanitarian crisis, innocent victims are torn from their beds, or simply killed during their morning walk.
“It seems like the world is abandoning these victims, as if they don’t exist. It’s time to wake up. »
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