Two years have passed since the horrific attacks by Hamas in Israel, and for the families of Canadian victims, a profound sense of abandonment lingers. They are speaking out, their voices filled with frustration and grief, directed at a leader they feel has turned a deaf ear to their suffering.
Iris Weinstein Haggai’s parents were brutally murdered on October 7th, 2023. She describes a chilling silence from the Prime Minister’s office, a stark contrast to the response offered by leaders in the U.S., France, and the U.K. “He ignored every message and every letter,” she recounts, the weight of that dismissal heavy in her words. “It was just very, very frustrating to understand that my prime minister in Canada doesn’t understand the nightmare I’m in.”
The families recall a time when former leadership readily offered meetings, a simple act of acknowledgment that now feels impossibly distant. Their pleas for condolences, for even a phone call, went unanswered for months, only receiving attention after media inquiries were made. A statement acknowledging the murdered Canadians finally arrived, but it felt hollow, a belated gesture lacking genuine empathy.
Judith Weinstein Haggai, Iris’s mother, was unique among the victims – the sole Canadian citizen taken hostage by Hamas and transported to Gaza. Born in New York, she embraced Canada as a young child before ultimately choosing to build a life in Israel, dedicating decades to fostering peace and understanding. Israeli officials tragically confirmed her death in December 2023, her body recovered months later in June.
Despite the agonizing uncertainty and eventual confirmation of her mother’s fate, Iris received no direct communication from the Prime Minister’s government. “My mother was the only Canadian hostage,” she explains, her voice trembling with emotion. “Our lives were still held hostage, because we didn’t have certainty. We didn’t have the ability to mourn.”
The families’ concerns extend beyond a lack of personal contact. They criticize the government’s silence on the issue of hostages in discussions with key international players, and they are demanding stronger action against those who support Hamas, including targeted sanctions and prosecutions.
Jacqui Rivers Vital, whose daughter Adi was killed in the attacks, has relentlessly pursued a meeting with the Prime Minister, reaching out through multiple channels. She expresses deep disappointment with a decision she views as profoundly insensitive: the recognition of a future Palestinian state while hostages remained captive and Hamas continued to wield power. “We have a shameful leader,” she stated, her grief laced with anger.
A recurring theme among the families is a feeling of being overlooked, particularly for those with dual citizenship who primarily resided in Israel. They feel Ottawa struggles to fully acknowledge their Canadian identity, diminishing their loss in the eyes of the government.
Iris Weinstein Haggai paints a poignant portrait of her mother, a woman who embodied Canadian values of inclusivity and peace. Judith volunteered to help Palestinians living near her kibbutz, believing in the possibility of coexistence. Even now, Iris receives messages from those whose lives her mother touched, a bittersweet reminder of the light extinguished too soon.
The return of other hostages offers a glimmer of hope, but for Iris, the full weight of the tragedy is only beginning to sink in. “I’m in a little bit of a denial phase,” she admits. “Now that the hostages are coming back, I feel I’m starting to understand the magnitude of what we’ve been through.”
