Contrary to earlier reports of his death, Moshe Michael ben Miriam is alive and hospitalized in serious condition. ZAKA, which initially reported the death, corrected the record Monday night after a volunteer contacted the family; the victim is undergoing emergency surgery.
ZAKA has officially retracted its earlier report that Moshe Michael ben Miriam was killed in Monday's Montreal shooting. A volunteer who knows the family and prays at the same synagogue contacted the victim's son and the rabbi, learning that ben Miriam is alive and hospitalized in serious condition, currently undergoing emergency surgery. The organization is in contact with the family and has asked the public to continue praying for his recovery. The correction came at around 23:44 Jerusalem time Monday, minutes after the family and hospital clarified that the earlier death report was erroneous.
Earlier Monday evening, conflicting reports had circulated. At 22:25 Jerusalem, multiple versions – including reports of a death, an identification of the victim as Michael Moshe Mizrahi, and a mistaken-assailant narrative – were published simultaneously. At 23:50 Jerusalem, The Zioneer reported that a hospital update cited by Israel Hayom stated doctors were fighting for Michael Mizrahi's life. The ZAKA correction now aligns with that hospital statement. The sequence shows a rapid evolution from unverified initial claims to on-record confirmation from both the medical team and the victim's family.
The incident unfolded Monday in Montreal's Côte-des-Neiges district, as The Zioneer reported at 22:25 Jerusalem. Authorities earlier described a shooting that left three dead – an officer, a civilian, and a suspect – and initially assessed the civilian, believed Jewish, may have been struck by stray police fire. That civilian was later named by Chabad House officials as Michael Mizrahi, who they said was shot and killed by police after being mistakenly identified as an assailant.
What remains open: The exact circumstances of ben Miriam's injury – whether he was hit in a police crossfire, by the initial assailant, or in another way – have not been clarified by Montreal authorities, whose investigation continues. The discrepancy between the earlier identification as "Michael Moshe Mizrahi" and the current identification as "Moshe Michael ben Miriam" – if these refer to the same person or to two different individuals – has not been officially resolved.
7 developments
- StrongZAKA retracts earlier report: Jewish man in Canada was seriously wounded, not murdered
- StrongZAKA says teams on the ground in Montreal as Jewish community monitors wounded
- DevelopingShooting attack victims: condition improving, one discharged
- StrongNew footage from Montreal attack scene shows police operation underway
Source and signal
- Internal intake