02 Dec
Latest, Religion

A Eulogy for Rivka and Gavriel Holtzberg

By Benjamin Schuman-Stoler This eulogy for Rivka and Gavriel Holtzberg found its way to us at ITM and we think it's worth sharing with our readers. It is by Hillary Lewin, who met and became friends with the Holtzbergs in Mumbai. Many of you first heard of the Holtzberg family three days ago when news of the Mumbai hostage situation emerged. I feel compelled to write this letter, because I want the world to know who Rivky and Gabi Holtzberg were in life and to tell you what I witnessed of their accomplishments in their brief 28 years on earth. While I am devastated by their death, I am thankful that my life and so many others were touched by their purity, friendship and spirit. Before I entered the Chabad house in Mumbai, I thought, "What kind of...

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01 Dec
Latest, Religion

Mumbai Attack, Jewish Angle

By Benjamin Schuman-Stoler All our Thanksgiving weekends were touched with sadness as news from Mumbai interrupted what should have been cheery days watching football and spending time with family. The details of the perpetrators' motivation and planning are still being worked out, but we know a number of attackers landed via boat at Mumbai on Wednesday and attacked specific locations around the city, from malls to cafes to train stations. The most publicized was a siege at the Taj Mahal Hotel that lasted until the weekend. In all, at least 179 were killed and 239 injured. We at Moment were particularly aghast when we heard that one location the attackers targeted was the Lubavitch Chabad center. The bodies of six Chabad center victims--Chabad emissaries Gavriel and Rivka Holtzberg, Yocheved Orpaz, Ben-Zion Kruman, Aryeh Leibish Teitelbaum and Norma Schvartzblat-Rabinowitz--were...

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