MONTREAL — At least one family member of Alexandre Bitton – the only Canadian Jew known to be a victim in the Haitian earthquake – travelled to Port-au-Prince last week to be there when his fate was finally determined.
Alexandre Bitton
Although the family of 36-year-old Bitton continued to cling to the faintest hope that a miracle would still occur, Rabbi Alan Bright, a family friend, said that “they are not immune to the reality.”
“It’s at a very critical stage,” he said.
Last Friday – 17 days after the catastrophe – Bitton, who was on his first trip to Haiti on business, was still among the fewer than 10 Canadians still unaccounted for in the rubble of the Hotel Montana, which collapsed on top of Bitton and the others while they checked in, or soon after.
Canadians whose remains have been recovered include former Liberal MP Serge Marcil, Quebecer Anne Chabot, and Katie Hadley of Ottawa.
Rabbi Bright said it was hoped the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers would be able to determine Bitton’s location when they moved in with heavy equipment.
If his remains are found, Rabbi Bright said, every effort will be made to ensure that they be treated in accordance with Jewish traditions in preparation for their return to Montreal.
