The Israeli kibbutz of Nir Oz has confirmed the death of 70-year-old Canadian-Israeli woman Judy Weinstein, whose fate has been unknown since the October 7 Hamas attack that also killed her 72-year-old husband, Gad Haggai.
"With great sorrow, Kibbutz Nir Oz announces the murder of Judy Weinstein," the community said in a press release.
The kibbutz described Weinstein as an "English teacher who specialized in teaching children with special needs." She also taught mindfulness to children and teenagers who suffered from anxiety caused by rocket fire from Gaza but also volunteered to help Palestinians in the strip.
"Judy was a poet, entrepreneur, and pursued many initiatives to advance peace in the region," the statement added. "May Judy's memory be a blessing."
Weinstein and Haggai were survived by their two daughters, two sons, and seven grandchildren.
Both their bodies remained with Hamas.
Who Was Judy Weinstein?
Weinstein was born in the United States but moved to Canada with her family when she was three years old.
In the mid-1990s, at the age of 20, she and Haggai moved to Israel and established their home in Kibbutz Nir Oz.
According to the couple's daughter, Iris Haggai, they were out on a walk when Hamas attacked southern Israel and fatally shot them both.
"We do know, from Judih's phone calls ... that both of them were shot," Weinstein's niece Ali also told the CBC in late November.
Despite the personal loss, Judy's brother Larry Weinstein said that the Hamas attack should never sow animosity between affected communities, specifically Jews and Muslims.
"We're inspired by my sister, who believed in peace and believed in harmony," he added.
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