r
Editor's Letter
jarc
vth Annual
Extraordinary Emissaries
FALL
FUNDRAISER
T
he reward can be great, but so can the risk.
was not hurt.
Chabad-Lubavitch shlichim, emissaries who are
Talk about heroes!
keepers of the Jewish people, bring Jewish outreach,
Moshe turned 2 years old the day after his rescue. He's
with big doses of joy and succor, to far-flung places around
now with Rivka's parents. Another child was hospitalized in
the world. It's their chosen path.
Israel with Tay-Sachs disease at the time of the attack. The
And it's comforting for Jews local to the area and for those
Holtzbergs lost their eldest son, 3-year-old Mandy, to Tay-
who are visiting to know there's a
Sachs disease 21/2 years ago. Compounding the tragedy, Rivka
Jewish spot they can go, whether
was six months pregnant.
for respite, a minyan, a kosher meal,
words of inspiration, a holiday gather-
Constant Threat
ing or engaging company.
The Chabad House is at the end of an alley so it's hard to
But in these perilous times, Chabad
believe the 10 terrorists didn't target it. Descriptions of the
houses, despite being sanctuaries of
death scene were horrid: live grenades everywhere; blood-
good will, can't let down their guard.
stained Torah scrolls and holy books; Rivka's body and other
The 7,000 men and women reach-
bodies wrapped in tallitot. "We estimate that she died earlier
ing out for Chabad extends to Russia,
and the rabbi covered her;' Shuki Brif of Israel's ZAKA disas-
Serbia, Colombia, Zambia, South Korea ter victim identification force in Mumbai told reporters.
and more than 70 other countries.
That's a sobering reminder that Jews are vulnerable wher-
I'm sure the late Lubavitcher rebbe,
ever they congregate. What happened at 5 Hormusji St. could
Menachem Mendel Schneerson, who died in 1994, would be
happen at Jewish sites anywhere. The Holtzbergs kept in close
mighty proud of the team of emissaries that he built.
contact with the local Israeli Consulate and its top security
Chabad houses specialize in Torah teachings and God's
officer; still, their perceived protective shield was shattered.
goodness yet no matter where they are, they represent prime
The Holtzbergs gave up the comforts of the West and the
targets for Islamist terrorists.
closeness of family to spread
Terror-mongers consider Jews
Jewish pride in a distant, hard-
and Israelis integral parts of
scrabble part of the world.
the hated West, putting Chabad
Mumbai is a stopover for Jewish
houses directly in the line of fire.
businesspeople and Israeli tour-
Enter Nariman House, the
ists, including backpackers who
five-story Chabad House in
have finished military service or
India. It's in Mumbai's Colaba
their university studies. Nariman
market district. The apartment
House was a place to feel Jewish
building was one of 10 sites
in a largely non-Jewish culture.
struck Nov. 26 in a coordinated
India, a country of 1.1 billion
terrorist attack on Mumbai, a
people, is home to maybe 5,000
western India port city and a
Jews; a quarter live in Mumbai, a
financial hub. It took Indian
city of 18 million people.
commandos 62 hours to quell
The Holtzbergs made the most
the well-orchestrated siege,
of their Mumbai experience
which began Thanksgiving eve.
despite the terror threat in India.
Evidence suggests the terror-
Propelling this remarkable cou-
ists, believed to be trained in
ple was the prospect of bringing
Rabbi Gavriel and Rivka Holtzberg
Pakistan, chose that date to gain
together disconnected Jews and
maximum news media exposure in
exciting them through the art of
America. Targets included Israel, American and British citi-
dining and dialogue.
zens as well as anyone Jewish.
The Holtzbergs knew how to mix and mingle — and make
it matter.
Heroic Act
"For five years, they ran a synagogue and Torah classes
Five Israelis and a Mexican planning to make aliyah were
and helped people dealing with drug addiction and poverty:'
slain in the Chabad House attack. They included the local
said Rabbi Moshe Kotlarsky, vice-chair of Merkos L'Inyonei
Chabad emissary, Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg, 29, and his wife,
Chinuch, the educational arm of Brooklyn-based Chabad-
Rivka, 28. The couple, in Mumbai since 2003, raised the
Lubavitch.
money to open the current site of their Chabad House —
"Their selfless love will live on with all the people they
their home as well as a wellspring of Chasidic bounty.
touched. We will continue the work they started!"
Sandra Samuel, 44, was a cook at Nariman House and
nanny to the Holtzberg's infant son, Moshe. Twelve hours after Torch Bearers
the reign of terror unfolded, Samuel heard cries from Moshe
The Holtzbergs represented Chabad — a Hebrew acronym
outside the laundry room where she had barricaded herself.
for wisdom, comprehension and knowledge — to the fullest.
She opened the door, grabbed the boy, saw his parents and
It wasn't unusual to find 20-50 people at every homemade
others lying on the floor unconscious and ran outside with
another center worker. The boy had blood-soaked pants but
Extraordinary on page A6
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December 4 • 2008
A5