By EVAN NEMEROFF
In Colaba, a neighborhood popular among tourists, the Nariman House, known in the U.S. as a Chabad House, was taken over by terrorists. The Holtzbergs were held captive inside during a standoff between Indian military forces and the terrorists, and eventually murdered. Their son, Moshe, left the house before the attacks occurred.
The tragedy left Chabad Houses across the world lamenting the loss of two of their leaders. “Chabad is one big family, and the loss of Rabbi Gabriel and Rivka Holtzberg has everyone hurting,” said Rabbi Zalman Wolowik of the Chabad of the Five Towns. “When we found out about the deaths, our world came to a stop. It’s a terrible tragedy, and we are still mourning.”
The Holtzbergs moved to Mumbai in 2003 to serve the small local Jewish community and to visit with businessmen and tourists, many of them Israeli. Gabriel, 29, was born in Israel and moved to the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn with his parents when he was 9. His 28-year-old wife, born Rivka Rosenberg, is a native of Afula, Israel.
Besides the Holtzbergs, four others died in the attack on the Nariman House, one of several across the city mounted by terrorists armed with assault rifles and grenades, in which more than 170 people died. ZAKA, an Israeli humanitarian voluntary organization that responds to tragic accidents, found the Holtzbergs’ bodies.
When Wolowik heard about the details of the attacks, he said, he was shocked and in pain, emotions shared throughout the Jewish community. “There has been an outpouring reaction from the Five Towns community as well as over 120 countries that read my Web site,” said Lenore Davis, editor of FiveTowns.com. “It’s a shame what happened to the rabbi and his wife, but also the repercussions as a result of this. People are now more afraid and can’t be as open as we often are. There is no longer a feeling of security, but [rather] vulnerability and susceptibility.”
Davis said she is upset about the way the Indian police handled the situation. "I believe that if this [had] occurred in Israel, the ending could have possibly turned out differently, with the Israelis having a plan of action," she said.
One of the projects that the Holtzbergs left unfinished was the construction of a new Chabad House in Bangalore, India. The work will continue under the leadership of the Chabad couple who will replace them in Mumbai. Who they may be has yet to be determined.
“Gabi and Rivky Holtzberg made the ultimate sacrifice,” Rabbi Moshe Kotlarsky, vice chairman of Merkos L'Inyonei Chinuch, the educational arm of Chabad-Lubavitch, told Chabad.org. “As emissaries to Mumbai, Gabi and Rivky gave up the comforts of the West in order to spread Jewish pride in a corner of the world that was a frequent stop for throngs of Israeli tourists. For five years they ran a synagogue and Torah classes, and helped people dealing with drug addiction and poverty. Their selfless love will live on with all the people they touched. We will continue the work they started.”
Those wishing to make donation in recognition of the Holtzbergs can go to chabadfivetowns.com.
Comments about this story? ENemeroff@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 210.
