By Charlie Senack
It was a somber moment at the Infinity Convention Centre on Oct. 7 as an estimated 1,500 people gathered in secrecy to honour the Israel terrorist attacks which occurred exactly one year ago.
Hosted by the Soloway Jewish Centre located near Broadview and Carling, the events location was kept secret until hours before due to security threats. The Kitchissippi Times was among a small group of media to get an invite.
Among those in attendance were both Canadian Prime Minister and Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre who spoke about the rising threat of antisemitism Jews across Canada have faced since the Oct. 7 attacks.
In his speech Trudeau said it is unacceptable for the hatred to be normalized.
“What makes this barbaric attack that much more agonizing is the fact that you’re reliving this nightmare every single day. You relive it when cowards shoot and smash the windows of your schools and synagogues in the middle of the night,” Trudeau said to the crowd. “You relive it when antisemites wave the flags of Hamas and Hezbollah on the streets of our cities.”
Poilievre, who received a larger applause and was well received by the crowd, started his address on a similar note but quickly turned political when he started taking jabs at the Trudeau-run Liberal government and said “it’s time for people to change” the governing leadership.
“This ideology that seeks to divide out people based on race and ethnicity, that has led to these horrifying outbursts of hatred, are not from the bottom up. They are from the top down,” said the Conservative Party Leader.
The Hamas attacks which occurred on Oct. 7, 2023, killed around 1,200 people — the biggest single-day massacre of Jewish people since the Holocaust. Amnot those murdered was 33-year-old Adi Vital-Kaploun, a dual Canadian-Israeli citizen who had ties to Ottawa.
Following the incident, posters of missing Israeli citizens were hung on lamp posts around Ottawa to put a name and face to those who were senselessly taken and held hostage. It’s believed about 250 people taken into captivity, hidden in underground tunnels and in people’s basements. To date, about 100 are waiting to still be freed.
The Israeli government has faced harsh criticism for their ongoing air and ground military offensive, which has killed 41,000 people. About 90 per cent of Gaza’s population has been forced out of their homes and are now dealing with a shortage of food, water, and medical supplies.
More to come….
