A Montrealer is believed to be among the hundreds killed in the attacks on Israel by Hamas.
Alexandre Look was attending a dance festival in an Israeli town near the Gaza border when the festival-goers were attacked.
His father, Alain Haim Look, wrote on his Facebook page that Alex was a hero in trying to protect others during the attack.
Some 250 people were killed by Hamas and others were taken hostage.
His father wrote that Alex was a force of nature, had a unique charisma, and an unparalleled generosity. “The world will never be the same without you,” Alain Haim Look, wrote.
“They were so proud of him, spoke about him often. He was the light of their life,” said Devorah Shanowitz, program director at Chabad of Westmount, in an interview with Global News.
A fundraising campaign has been organized to help the family financially as they plan to eventually bring Alex’s body home.
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“We’re looking to raise $100,000. That’s our goal. Response has been tremendous so far. I’m not sure when they can go back to work. They’re just crushed, so we want them to have that cushion,” Shanowitz said.
Last weekend’s attack on Israel has left hundreds dead in Israel and the Gaza Strip as tensions rise in the region.
Shanowitz says a new campaign has been launched in the name of Alex Look that calls on Montrealers to do goodwill gestures.
“We are determined that his memory should live on forever and the way we do that is through acts of goodness and kindness and spreading the light,” Shanowitz said.