The flags of Ontario, Canada and Israel fly at half mast as Jewish Federation of Ottawa CEO Andrea Freedman reads a statement from the family of Ali Vital-Kaploun who was killed by Hamas, on Wednesday, October 11, 2023 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
OTTAWA – A Canadian citizen with deep connections to Canada’s capital city was killed by Hamas militants in Israel, the head of the Jewish Federation of Ottawa said Wednesday.
Rain trickled down in front of a Jewish community centre as the group’s CEO, Andrea Freedman, spoke in a sombre tone on behalf of Adi Vital-Kaploun’s family.
Freedman said 33-year-old Vital-Kaploun, who had a large extended family in Ottawa, was killed at her kibbutz near the Israeli border with the Gaza Strip.
She said she wouldn’t share details about how the circumstances of what she called a “brutal murder.”
“(She) was a beautiful person, with a warm soul that touched her family and friends with love,” Vital-Kaploun’s wrote in a statement, which Freedman also read out to reporters Wednesday.
“Her love was like rays of sunshine, warming the world around her with her smile, her warmth and compassion.”
The family said she was an amazing mother, daughter and wife, always bringing love and laughter to her family.
“Adi brought love, laughter and a sense of purpose to her parents and siblings, the one always leading the way in a very close family,” the family wrote in the statement.
She was also a talented dancer, saxophonist and basketball player, the family said.
The family said Vital-Kaploun was driven at a young age to be successful. She completed a master’s degree in chemical engineering and excelled in her career in cybersecurity.
Her family also said she was a proud Israeli, and loved her country.
“Adi also loved Canada, was a proud Canadian, from a local Ottawa family with deep community ties, and made sure to convey this pride to her children.”
The family said they are standing with Israel in fighting against Hamas militants “that undertook this heinous act.”
“We are mourning trying to process this unconscionable act of terrorism in her kibbutz and across the country,” said the family in their statement, adding that they wish her memory to be “a blessing.”
Freedman said Vital-Kaploun grew up and lived in Israel but held dual citizenship.
She said the family is requesting privacy.
Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe said earlier Wednesday that he had spoken with a family member of someone who was killed in Israel.
He said his thoughts were with all the victims and families in Ottawa that have been affected.
Friends and family have confirmed to The Canadian Press the deaths of two other Canadians: 22-year-old Ben Mizrachi from Vancouver and 33-year-old Alexandre Look from Montreal, who died when gunmen swarmed a music festival in southern Israel.
At least 2,300 people have been killed so far in a conflict that began after Hamas conducted brazen attacks in Israel on Saturday.
Canada considers Hamas to be a terrorist group, and Canadian leaders have decried the violence it waged on the weekend, saying Israel has a right to defend itself.
The Canadian government is organizing airlifts out of Tel Aviv for hundreds of citizens, permanent residents and their families who are in the country and wish to leave.
Another 70 Canadian citizens who are in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip have asked for help as Israel hammers the area with retaliatory airstrikes. But there is little the Canadian government can do to access the closed-off territory unless a humanitarian corridor is opened.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 11, 2023.
