Gavriel Holtzberg

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Rabbi
Gavriel Noach Holtzberg
גבריאל נח הולצברג‎
Rivka and Gavriel Holtzberg
Personal
Born9 June 1979
Kiryat Malakhi, Israel
Died26 November 2008(2008-11-26) (aged 29)[1]
Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
ReligionJudaism
NationalityAmerican and Israeli
SpouseRivka Rosenberg
Children
  • Menachem Mendel (2003–2006)
  • Dov Ber (2004–2008)
  • Moshe Tzvi (b. November 2006)
Parent(s)Nachman and Freida Holtzberg
OccupationRabbi of Mumbai Chabad House
Buried2 December 2008
Mount of Olives, Jerusalem, Israel[2]
ResidenceMumbai, India

Gavriel Noach Holtzberg (

Jewish Indian community,[3][4][5] and led the Friday-night Shabbat services at the Knesset Eliyahoo synagogue.[6] Holtzberg and his wife were murdered during the 2008 Mumbai attacks perpetrated by the Islamic militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba
.

Early life and family

Holtzberg was born in

New York, when he was 9 years old. He had eight siblings. During his years in elementary school, he memorised the entire Second Order of the Mishnah, Moed verbatim and was a two-time champion in a competition of memorizing the Mishnah.[7] During his high school years, Holtzberg was known for his knowledge of the Talmud. He traveled to Jerusalem for an international Talmudic competition, where he came in second.[8]

He studied at

Chabad-Lubavitch.[7]

Holtzberg had long desired to become a Chabad emissary. He spent time as a student in the Chabad house in Bangkok, and helped open a Chabad house in south Thailand.[9]

His future

Migdal Ha'Emek
, Israel.

The Holtzbergs married in 2002.[10] Their firstborn son, Menachem Mendel, was born a year later, afflicted with Tay–Sachs disease. He died of this disease at the age of 3.[1] Their second son, DovBer, was born with the same ailment and was institutionalized in a pediatric long-term care facility in Israel under the care of his grandparents. He died at the age of 4 in December 2008, one month after his parents' murder.[11] Their third son, Moshe, was born healthy and lived with them in Mumbai. They lived together on the fifth floor of the Chabad House.[12] It was revealed by her father during her funeral that Rivka was five months pregnant with her fourth child at the time she was slain.[13]

Work in Mumbai

Nariman House

Part of a series on
Chabad
(Rebbes and Chasidim)
770 Eastern Parkway
Rebbes of Chabad
Schneersohn family
Rabbonim
Mashpiim and scholars
Mazkirus and other leaders
Shluchim
Other notable figures
Controversies

After Gavriel and Rivka Holtzberg married, they moved to Mumbai to serve as Chabad emissaries and open the first Chabad House in Mumbai.

Jews from all walks of life, including notable figures such as Sir Martin Gilbert[18] and Rabbi Joseph Telushkin,[19]
to humanitarian workers, business people and Israeli backpackers visiting India.

In an article published in 2006, Holtzberg said he understood the nature of the Israeli traveler's needs saying they "need relief" from the army, from work, from real life.[14] He added that "they come here to do everything the army didn’t allow them to do. Their shoes had to be polished and tied – here they wear sandals. They had to cut their hair – here they grow their hair long."[14]

Local Jewish community

There are between 4,500 and 5,000

mikvah for the synagogue,[3] he and his wife also taught Jewish studies and the Torah to local Jews and tourists and provided their mikveh to be used by local Jews,[17] and made challah available to them.[citation needed
]

Attack

Further information: Nariman House § Terrorist attack

On 26 November 2008, Nariman House was attacked during the 2008 Mumbai attacks and the Holtzbergs were taken hostage. Sandra Samuel, a maid at the house and the nanny for their 2-year-old son, Moshe, managed to escape with the boy. As the siege began, Samuel locked the doors and hid in a room. She heard Rivka screaming "Sandra, Sandra, help, Sandra." The gunmen reportedly went door-to-door, searching for targets, so Samuel unlocked her door, but they did not find her. She then ran upstairs to find the Holtzbergs shot and lying on the ground with their son crying over them, so she picked him up and ran to the exit.[21]

Two days after the siege of the house began, Indian security forces seized the house and found the Holtzbergs and six others dead. It was concluded that the Holtzberg's wife had been killed many hours before,[22] and several of the bodies were covered in tallit, including Rivka Holtzberg's, leading witnesses to speculate that the rabbi managed to cover the bodies before he was killed.[23]

Response from Australia

In December 2008,

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd stated that Holtzberg and his wife had “devoted their lives to acts of goodness and kindness and compassion for others ... but they lost their lives in a senseless act of hatred. In the face of this terror we must not bow to fear. We must respond by spreading our own message of tolerance and respect for people of other backgrounds and other beliefs.” Federal Opposition leader Malcolm Turnbull and U.S. Consul-General Judith Fergin also spoke at the memorial service. A representative from the Indian Consulate was also present.[24]

Funeral

Thousands of people attended the funeral of Holtzberg and his wife, with eulogies delivered in the town of

Agudas Hassidei Chabad International, the movement's umbrella organization.[26][27]

Rabbi

Chabad movement.[27] Kotlarsky also said that the Chabad House would be rebuilt, and that it would be named after the Holtzbergs.[27] Kotlarsky also aimed his message at the couple's surviving son, Moshe, saying "You don't have a mother who will hug you. You are the child of all of Israel."[28] In Toronto, Ontario, Canada, a memorial service was held for Gavriel and his wife at a Chabad synagogue, where almost 1,500 people attended.[29]

Child

Main article: Sandra Samuel

The Holtzbergs' son Moshe, who survived the attack, and his Indian nanny

Righteous Gentile
, the highest Israeli award that may be presented to non-Jews, allowing her to remain in Israel for an extended period of time.

A video of Moshe crying at the funeral service for his parents and crying "Imma, Imma," which means "Mommy, Mommy" in Hebrew was widely published.[31][32]

In 2018, a decade after the massacre, the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, visited Moshe in Israel and invited the boy to return to India any time. That same year, the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, accompanied Moshe on a visit to Mumbai.[33]

See also

  • converted to Judaism
    , and immigrated to Israel.

References

  1. ^ a b Lavie, Mark (1 December 2008). "Orphan of slain rabbi in Mumbai lands in Israel". Associated Press.
  2. ^ ""Jerusalem funeral of Mumbai rabbi", Australian Jewish News, 3 December 2008". Archived from the original on 6 January 2009. Retrieved 30 December 2008.
  3. ^ a b c Berkman, Jacob (28 November 2008). "Grim news from Mumbai hits home". JTA. Archived from the original on 18 March 2012. Retrieved 2 December 2008.
  4. ^ "Questions churn about attackers". The Commercial Appeal. 30 November 2008.
  5. ^ Morton, Michael (27 November 2008). "Ashland man worries for friend in Mumbai". The MetroWest Daily News. Archived from the original on 2 December 2013. Retrieved 2 December 2008.
  6. ^ Kahn, Jeremy (3 December 2008). "Jews of Mumbai, a Tiny and Eclectic Group, Suddenly Reconsider Their Serene Existence". The New York Times. p. A16.
  7. ^ a b c d Mumbai-Based Rabbi and Wife Killed in Terrorist Attacks, Chabad, Joshua Runyan and Motti Seligson , 28 November 2008
  8. New York Times
    , Ralph Blumenthal, 28 November 2008
  9. New York Times
    , Cara Buckley, 30 November 2008
  10. ^ Robbins, Liz; Healy, Jack (29 November 2008). "Brooklyn Couple Killed in Attacks". The New York Times.
  11. ^ "4-Year-Old Son Of Kedoshim Holtzberg Dies of Illness". Vos Is Neias? 30 December 2008
  12. ^ Mumbai victims' son searches for mother, Yedioth Ahronoth, Ronen Medzini, 1 December 2008
  13. ^ Kershner, Isabel (2 December 2008). "Orphaned Boy Is Focus at Hostages' Funeral". The New York Times. p. A16.
  14. ^ a b c Kadosh, Dikla (17 May 2006). "Israelis Invade India". Namaste. Archived from the original on December 1, 2008.
  15. ^ Khalil, Ashraf (1 December 2008). "After Mumbai attacks, Israel debates protection for Chabad Houses". Los Angeles Times.
  16. ^ The House With Five Steps Archived 2008-12-01 at the Wayback Machine, Tehelka, Rohini Mohan, 30 November 2008
  17. ^ a b Chabad Rivkah Holtzberg, Chabad House Director, Was No Stranger to Hardship, Chabad, Sara Esther Crispe, 2 December 2008
  18. ^ Sharing Memories, Chabad, accessed 5 December 2008]
  19. ^ Remembering Gavriel and Rivkah Holtzberg Archived 2008-12-02 at the Wayback Machine, JTA, Benjamin Holtzman, 28 November 2008
  20. ^ Rabbi, wife 'spread Jewish pride' in Mumbai, CNN, Paula Hancocks, accessed 4 December 2008
  21. ^ Nanny credited with tot's daring rescue, CNN, Drew Griffin and Paula Hancocks, 2 December 2008
  22. ^ 'We will not show the pain we feel ... not now', The Globe and Mail, Patrick Martin, 29 November 2008
  23. New York Times
    , Cara Buckley, 30 November 2008
  24. ^ Australia’s prime minister honors Holtzbergs Archived 2011-08-07 at the Wayback Machine, Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA), 9 December 2008.
  25. ^ 'We will fight terrorists with torches'[permanent dead link], Associated Press and The Jerusalem Post, 2 December 2008
  26. ^ Masses gather for Chabad emissaries' funeral, Yedioth Ahronoth, Yael Levy, 2 December 2008
  27. ^ a b c Vengeance through kindness[permanent dead link], The Jerusalem Post, Matthew Wagner, 3 December 2008
  28. ^ You are a child of Israel, orphaned two-year-old Moshe Holtzberg is told, The Times, Sheera Frenkel, 3 December 2008
  29. ^ Canadian Jews mourn Mumbai victims, Canadian Jewish News, Frances Kraft, 4 December 2008
  30. ^ In her own words, nanny's brave escape in Mumbai, CNN, 4 December 2008.
  31. New York Times
    , 1 December 2008
  32. ^ Orphan cries for mommy at her Mumbai funeral Archived 2008-12-04 at the Wayback Machine, Associated Press, 1 December 2008
  33. ^ Oster, Marcy. "Decade after Mumbai massacre, murdered Chabad couple's son flourishes in Israel". www.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 2020-07-14.

External links

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