Special Report
MASSACRE IN MUMBAI
Right top: Rabbi Levi Shemtov of West
Bloomfield.
Right bottom: Jerry Allen of Novi lights
a candle with his son, Benjamin, while
Gabby Gluzman of Commerce and Sophie
Curhan of West Bloomfield look on.
Center top: Rabbi Chaim Bergstein of
Farmington Hills and Ed Hirsch of Franklin.
Center middle: Zoe Pinter, 16, of West
Bloomfield.
Rabbi Bentzion
Center bottom: Devorah Leah Stein of
Stein of Oak Park
Oak Park and her husband, Mendel.
From Darkness To Light
Hundreds attend memorial and solidarity gathering for Mumbai victims.
Robin Schwartz
Special to the Jewish News
A
s images of Rabbi Gavriel
Holtzberg, his wife, Rivka, and
other victims of the Mumbai
massacre flashed on a projection screen,
some people shed tears, others prayed.
About 500 people gathered at the Jewish
Community Center in West Bloomfield
Dec. 1 for a moving memorial to honor
the young Chabad-Lubavitch emissaries
and more than 170 other victims of the
62-hour siege.
The event was sponsored jointly by
Chabad-Lubavitch of Michigan, the Jewish
Federation of Metropolitan Detroit, the
JCC and the Jewish Community Relations
Council.
"Can there be a greater contrast of the
ultimate good and the lowest of evil?" Alan
Zekelman of Bloomfield Hills asked the
crowd. "On one hand were the individuals
who spent long hours, days and months
accumulating resources and plotting strat-
egies to fulfill a mission of destruction,
chaos and murder. Juxtapose this against
the vibrancy of a pious couple who devot-
ed their lives to the holy mission to help
others by establishing a center that served
as a home to inspire those who needed
inspiration, gave warm meals to those who
were hungry, and created a place where
people could feel comfortable connecting
to their Jewish heritage'
Five children from various local Chabad
centers lit candles symbolizing the illumi-
nation of the five levels of the soul. Rabbi
Chaim Yehuda Klainberg of the Frankel
Jewish Academy in West Bloomfield led a
short prayer service. He visited Mumbai
three years ago and davened with Rabbi
Holtzberg when the Chabad center was in
its early stages.
"He and his wife gave up everything
financial, everything physical to go out
and touch lives, just to teach people
and welcome people into their home
Klainberg said. "It's an unbelievable sac-
rifice."
David Lepley of Novi sat among the
crowd counting his blessings, thankful to
be alive. He was in Mumbai at the time
of the terrorist attack, visiting his brother
who is an architect there. The two wan-
dered through the Taj Hotel just hours
before gunmen stormed the building.
"We were just enjoying the evening,
watching people stroll by:' Lepley recount-
ed. "I'm obviously very fortunate I was
ahead of it by a few hours. I'm a little bit in
disbelief, just the incredible timing."
Lepley's rabbi urged him to perform
a mitzvah in honor of his good fortune.
Rabbi Levi Shemtov spread the same
message to the rest of the group. At times,
he was near tears as he spoke about the
Holtzberg's 2-year-old son, Moshe, whose
life was spared when his nanny rushed
him out of the building to safety.
"He will one day read the history of the
short life and tragic death of his parents,
and he will rise up and say want to con-
tinue:" said Shemtov. "To the hearts who
mourn, who are fearful, we say we will
continue to be there. As early as Friday,
applications were coming in to Chabad
headquarters from people wanting to
continue the work of Gavi and Rivki in
Mumbai. One application even said, 'Will
fly out Saturday night."'
Shari Ferber Kaufman of Orchard Lake
emerged from the ceremony with her
arms around her children, Joshua, 15, and
Laurenne, 13.
"We've come together from all paths of
Judaism to share the pain and the tragedy
of the loss of these fine, wonderful people
Kaufman said. "We hope and pray that
people should learn to accept each other's
differences and follow the true goal of liv-
ing in peace."
More coverage-
• Editor's Notebook: A5
• JNonline.us
December 4 • 2008
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