Opinion: By defying terrorism, we defend the memory of those lost

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Since Oct. 7, 2023, I’ve travelled the world sharing a story of despair, hope and call to action. The tragedy of that fateful day is not just personal with the murder and kidnapping of my parents and friends; it’s a broader cautionary message that underscores the urgency of fighting terrorism to protect the democratic and secular values that embody Canada.

My parents, Judi Weinstein and Gadi Haggai, were among the more than 250 innocent civilians violently taken hostage from their peaceful lives into Gaza that day. For 83 days we didn’t know their fate. Bringing them and all remaining 101 hostages back home has become my life’s mission.

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On that October morning, my parents and friends from Kibbutz Nir Oz, where peace, equality and secularism are core values, awoke to what seemed like a regular Saturday. At 6:50 a.m., that peace was shattered as my mother texted me that they were sheltering from “hundreds of rockets.” I asked her to let me know when she was safe, but that was the last I ever heard from her.

Judi, a Canadian citizen who grew up in Toronto, was not only a mother and grandmother but also a mindfulness teacher and a poet who helped children and teenagers traumatized by constant bombings from Hamas cope with their anxieties. My father, Gadi, a jazz musician who grew up in the U.S. and a vegan whole foods chef and enthusiast, always stood for justice and unity. They built a life of love, peace and compassion — values that Canada upholds.

Despite their dedication to peace and equality, my parents became bargaining chips in a violent game driven by terror. Thousands of terrorists infiltrated Israel that day, murdering more than 1,200 people. My parents and friends were among the victims. One out of four from my small agricultural community were either murdered or kidnapped, including women, children and the elderly.

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For months we didn’t know the fate of my parents, and after 83 days we received the confirmation that my 70-year-old parents were murdered and their bodies held hostage, used as human currency by terrorists.

My eight-year-old, their first grandchild, keeps asking: “Mommy, if they are dead, why don’t we have a grave I can visit?” No mother should have to answer such a question, and no child should have to ask it.

Terrorism and extremism are global menaces that attack the fabric of democratic societies. It’s infuriating that figures with radical ideas like Charlotte Kates, one of the leaders of Samidoun — a listed terrorist entity in Canada — can speak freely at a conference in Montreal.

Canada must confront this crisis decisively. We cannot allow terrorist groups to operate here or extremist ideologies to infiltrate our communities. Ignoring these threats erodes the very freedoms we aim to protect.

This crisis is a test of our democracy. By standing against terrorism, we defend the memory of those lost and the freedoms we hold dear. My parents’ lives, and those still held captive, must be honoured with action.

We cannot rest until every hostage is returned, both living and dead, and we cannot allow terror to reshape Canada. Let us unite to demand accountability and bring my Canadian mother, Judi Weinstein, to her family.

This is not only a call to “bring them home.” This is also a call to bring back our values.

Iris Weinstein Haggai has been advocating for the release of her parents and all 101 remaining hostages, the dead and alive, held by Hamas in Gaza.

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