Chabad Mumbai Memorial & a video tribute below
For a photo gallery of the evening click here
Dozens of people from the Jewish community and other faiths in the area gathered together this past Monday evening at the Chabad Center of Sudbury for a memorial evening dedicated to the victims of the brutal terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India. The attacks in Mumbai which killed over 170 people included a targeted attack on the Chabad Jewish Center of Mumbai which killed a young American Rabbi, Rabbi Gabi Holtzberg , his wife Rivky and multiple other Jewish victims who were at the center at the time of the attack.
During the evening prayers were recited in memory of all the victims of the brutal terror attacks and the Kaddish prayer was recited by the participants in honor of the victims. Following the prayers everyone lit candles in memory of the victims and filled out Good Deed Pledge cards which will be sent to the families of the victims. Several video clips were then shown of the tremendous work and hospitality that the Holtzbergs were known for, so that people could get a sense of this young couple and of what a Chabad House is.
Rabbi Freeman then spoke about the renowned work of his colleagues Rabbi Gabi & Rivky Holtzberg, who were known for their generosity, open home, the warmth they provided to all the thousands of travelers that they hosted at their center each year, the amazing Jewish experiences and exposures that the many guests experienced, and their unbelievable determination and selflessness in their dedication to their fellow human being and the Jewish community.
Rabbi Freeman spoke of the depth and pain of the tragic events in India and of the enormity that the loss has been for the Jewish Community in India, around the world, and for the international Chabad community. He spoke of the anxiety and stress that the community had felt during the two days of the attack as no one knew what had become of this beautiful young couple and their many guests. Rabbi Freeman spoke about the powerful moments of this tragedy that will stay with us forever, like when the little two year old boy was rushed out by his nanny during the middle of the hostage crisis and saved, or when the terrorists were waving a Jewish prayer shawl from the window in the midst of the gun battle, or of the terrible images that we witnessed of the destruction inside the center at the end of the battle, or of their little two year old son crying for his mummy and daddy at the memorial service in Mumbai, and of the moments of unbelievable strength and determination which the family of Gabi & Rivky expressed.
Rabbi Freeman stressed that all the tremendous grief and anguish which we have all felt over the last few days must be turned into a catalyst for bringing more goodness and kindness into the world. Just as a little light can dispel a tremendous amount of darkness so too our acts of kindness and goodness represent a way that we can combat evil and terrorism in the world. Rabbi Freeman spoke of how the terrorists tried to extinguish this force of goodness purely because of their Jewish faith but that through the response of communities worldwide in increasing acts of goodness and kindness we will not only rekindle the flames of the Holtzberg’s but we will together succeed in making the world a much better place.
Rabbi Freeman concluded by saying that if so few people could cause so much destruction through baseless hate, how much more so if we apply ourselves to bettering the world and ourselves then our ability to succeed in this work is infinitely more potent and will succeed in an exponential way.
Rabbi Boaz Heilman of Congregation Bnai Torah spoke about the beautiful diversity represented in the evening’s gathering and made special note of the Indian delegation which included members of the Muslim faith who came to show their solidarity. He spoke of the hate and way of life that the extremists want to force on everyone and how we must combat that with tolerance and understanding for one another.
Though many tears were shed that night by those assembled this will give way to a true victory over terror through the unifying message and positive actions which will result from this tragic incident. People are encouraged to visit www.chabadsudbury.com to participate in the campaign of good deeds which has been launched in memory of the victims. Additionally this coming Friday evening special Shabbat services will be held at the Chabad Center in the spirit of the services as they were held at the Chabad Center of Mumbai.
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Below are is a video which is broken up in two parts which you will see a glimpse into the lives of the Holtzberg's, their work, and the Chabad approach to dealing with the tragedy.