The three day tragedy which occurred last week in the Indian commercial city of Mumbai is now beginning to fade into the memories of most people who watched the horrible drama unfold on their TV’s. For those of us living in Israel, as well as for world Jewry everywhere, however, this outrage will continue to haunt us for many days to come. This is due to the six Jews who were killed at the Mumbai Chabad Center, including the Center’s director, Rabbi Gavriel Hotlzberg and his wife, Rivka.
The international Chabad community has become well known all over the world, due to their highly successful work in establishing and maintaining a religious Jewish presence in places where Jewish communities are either non-existent or unable to provide their unique services for the benefit of Jewish travelers. Whether it may be Katmandu Nepal, Mumbai or Goa India, Bangkok or Phuket Thailand, or obscure backpacking locals in Central or South America, the warmth and friendliness of Chabad House staffers have given young travelers from Israel or other parts of the Jewish World a place to go for Shabbat religious services, or a kosher meal during a festival like Passover or Sukkot.
The fact that members of this warm and loving community were singled out and slaughtered, for the simple reason that they were Jews, makes the terror attack in Mumbai especially important to learn from; especially to those who are acquainted with this special community first hand.
As the bodies of Rabbi Holtzman and his wife lay in state, before a replica of the home of the Chabad Community’s spiritual mentor, the late Rabbi Manachem Schneerson, the head of the Chabad movement in Israel, Rabbi Moshe Menachem Mendel Goldstein, gave an impassioned plea to members of his community, and to Jews at large to carry on with the work that Rabbi and Mrs. Holtzberg devoted to and gave their lives for. Between passionate tears, Rabbi Goldstein pleaded for everyone to carry on the work that the Holtzmans had done, and for the work of sending out Chabad emissaries to carry on in earnest. This is indeed the legacy that Rabbi Holtzberg and his wife leave behind: to continue to carry out the work of Chabad, which will perpetuate the memories of their deaths. The Hotzlberg’s 2 year old son, Moshe, who miraculously survived by being carried to safety by his nanny, has resulted in her being designated as a Righteous Gentile. Little Moshe himself has become a symbol of Jewish survival, in his people’s long history of acts of violence being perpetuated against fellow Jews.
Indeed, the most fitting legacy that the Holtzbergs and the other four Jewish victims can leave behind is for Chabad’s outstanding work to continue to reach out and build bridges between religious and secular Jews the world over, as well as with the non-Jewish world. The Chabad House in Mumbai will undoubtedly be refurbished quickly, and new emissaries will be chosen to continue to furnish a Jewish “home away from home” for Jewish tourists and businessmen who frequent India’s commercial and cultural center. Little Moshe will surely grow into manhood with the desire and conviction to carry on with the type of work his parents so lovingly did during their sojourn in India. There will be no shortage of people available to tell him about his parents and the fine work they did there.
As mentioned by Kfar Chabad’s spiritual leader during the Holtzberg’s eulogy speech, their deaths are not unlike those of other famous Jewish leaders, such as Rabbi Akiba, who also gave their lives for what is known as Kiddush ha Shem – Sanctification of the Name. During Judaism’s long history Jewish martyrdom has been a sad reality all too often, with the main reason for this simply due to their being Jews.
But for now, all we can do is to mourn their deaths and contemplate what happened during those terrible 60 hours in which nearly 200 people were killed and more than 300 wounded. We living in Israel know all too well about terrorism and its senseless destruction. The important lesson that can be learned by everyone is that these events must be prevented from recurring and all efforts must be made to carry on, even in the face of such adversity. It is this fitting legacy that Rabbi and Rivka Holtzberg leave behind as their bodies are laid to their eternal rest.
