An Israeli man staying in B.C. is mourning the loss of his grandmother who was believed to have been killed in the attack by Hamas.
Yoav Shimoni remembers his grandmother Braha Levinson as the centre of his family. He told Global News she lived in Israel for decades on a Kibbutz a short distance from the Gaza border and had just visited her a few weeks ago.
Levinson was not a Canadian citizen.
He said his family learned of the attacks by Hamas after discovering a video posted to Levinson’s Facebook, showing her seriously injured.
“My grandma, she was the bravest person I knew,” Shimoni said. “She was super confident, she would always call when she was in the shelter (during previous military actions), making sure she’s safe and she would be again.”
The 24-year-old said his grandmother moved to Israel as a child in the late 1970s and raised his mom and aunt as a single mother.
“She was always a source of support, not only to me, my family and my mom, but everyone else in her community,” Shimoni added. “She loved the news… every time we talked to her, she would have some news channel on. And we (would) always talk about current events and things like that.”
Shimoni said the family was on a group chat as the Hamas attack got underway and his grandmother was in the shelter and was saying how she was concerned about his life and her safety and that was the last time they heard from her.
He added that about 10 minutes later, his sister said there had been a video posted to his grandmother’s Facebook page showing her seriously injured and men with guns standing around her.
Hours later, he said they learned his grandmother’s house and community had been burned down.
His mother, brother and father are also in Israel but Shimoni said they are safe for now but so much uncertainty remains.
“She was just a beacon of light in all of our lives and all of her community,” Shimoni said.
“Everyone knew one another, everyone supported one another and helped them in any way they could.”
Shimoni said he is just trying to raise awareness about what is happening because both his parents have told him he cannot come to Israel at this time.
“I am trying to get them over here. It’s just that they’re similar to my grandma, who even through almost 20 years of being at a contentious area, she refused to even come to us to tell me during intense periods like this. And it feels currently like my parents are carrying the same sentiment.”
For now, he says all he can do is wait and hope and take comfort in the memories of his beloved grandmother.
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