Montreal family doctor stays behind in Israel to volunteer her help

Montrealer Aviva Drazin and her family were spending the Jewish holiday of Sukkot in Jerusalem as the Israel-Hamas war broke out.

They were scheduled to go back to Montreal Tuesday.

“Saturday, the last day of the holiday, we were in synagogue and sirens started going off, alerting us to the fact that we had to take cover, that rockets, bombs, missiles would be coming somewhere in the area,” Drazin told CityNews

“All our flights were cancelled. People were scrambling to get tickets, to get back to wherever they came from. In our case, it’s Montreal.”

While people tried leaving the country, something held Drazin back.

“I don’t fault anyone for going back. Everyone has reasons to be back. Family, work, all different things. I just watched all of the flights being rescheduled trying to book and I just had a feeling I can’t leave. I just don’t feel ready to leave.”

Drazin is a family doctor in Montreal and is looking to respond to the Israeli government’s call for medical volunteers.

“With the support of my family, they returned back last night and I figured I’d stay and see what I can do,” she said.

“Buying supplies that the soldiers seem to need and going to drop-off stations, working on packaging those, going to visit to the Shiva houses of some of the soldiers, unfortunately, who were killed.”

Former Montrealer’s daughter a soldier in Israel

Meanwhile a former Montrealer who’s been living in Ra’anana, Israel, for the last seven years says her daughter, who is a soldier, is on the front lines with the Israeli military.

“I’m a mother, too. And I’m scared,” said Myriam Azogui Halbwax. “I worry a lot. It’s dangerous for everybody, every single civilian… But for soldiers, it’s so, so difficult. Any human being, any mother, any parent can understand that… of course, I’m worried.”

At least 1,200 Israelis, including 155 soldiers, have been killed since Saturday.

“Since this morning, I keep having people calling me or texting me about my nephew, my cousin, my neighbour, my friend got killed,” said Azogui Halbwax. “And we’re seeing the news minute by minute and is just a nightmare.

“We are in a very different situation. It’s not the war-like conflict that we were used to seeing before. This is very different now.”

Drazin says she’s witnessing some solidarity during the dark times.

“So many workers are now on the front line,” she said. “So grocery stores are missing people. You see teenagers, schools are still closed. So it’s definitely not back to normal.

“I think it’s actually easier to some extent being here and feeling that brotherhood, sisterhood. I think from afar, I know from everyone who returns, their hearts are broken.”