President Bush’s Letter of Condolences to Chabad

President George W. Bush and Laura Bush extend their condolences to those suffering from the terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India, upon their arrival to the White House Saturday, Nov. 29, 2008, in Washington DC. White House photo by Joyce N. Boghosian.

WASHINGTON, DC [CHI] — U.S. President George Bush has sent a letter of condolences to the funeral of slain Mumbai Chabad Rabbi Gavriel and Mrs. Rivkah Holtzberg in Israel, today, via Rabbi Levi Shemtov, Washington director of American Friends of Lubavitch. The letter was read at the funeral by his father Rabbi Avraham Shemtov, Chairman of Agudas Chassidei Chabad umbrella group.

Full text of the letter in the Extended Article.

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New “Broken Parking Meter” Bill Signed into Law

Mayor Bloomberg signs the bill into law as Councilman Felder (L) and Weprin look on.

NEW YORK, NY [CHI] — Mayor Bloomberg signed Councilman Felder’s parking meter bill into law yesterday. The new law will clarify the rules for parking at a broken parking meter. Currently, New York City traffic rules create a confusing scheme where drivers can park at a missing meter up to the amount of time normally allowed at that parking zone, but caps the allowed time at one hour if the parking meter is broken. Nearly 40,000 tickets were given last year for parking for more than one-hour at a broken parking meter. The new law, which will take effect March 1st, allows motorists to park at a broken meter for the full length of time otherwise allowed in the parking zone. If the broken meter is in a 2-, 4-, or 6- hour parking zone, then motorists can park at the broken parking meter for two, four, or six hours.

Boy Named After Shliach

Bris. Illustration Photo.

CROWN HEIGHTS, Brooklyn [CHI] — While people around the world were participating and watching the funeral of Mumbai Shluchim, a Bris took place in Bais Shmuel Shul. The parents Levi and Rivky Wilhelm gave their child the name Gavriel Noach Chaim. The newborn will be the first to be named after slain Rabbi, Gavriel Noach Holtzberg HYD, who was murdered in India last week.

US Official: India Knew of Plot on Mumbai’s Coast

Indian police officers guarding the area around Mubai’s seafront landmark Taj Mahal Hotel discuss as they read the morning newspapers Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2008. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)

MUMBAI, India [AP] — India received a warning from the United States before last week’s attacks in Mumbai that militants were plotting a waterborne assault on the city, a senior U.S. official said Tuesday as domestic intelligence officials said they were aware of a Pakistan-based plot.

Live Broadcast from the Levaya of the Holtzbergs HYD

At 6am (NY Time) Tuesday morning, a live video feed of the levaya of Rabbi Gavriel and Rivkah Hotzberg, HY”D, will be available on Chabad.org at http://www.chabad.org/778264 thanks to the generous support of Rabbi Shalom Laine.

A screen will be set up at Lubavitcher Yeshiva on Crown Street (Albany Ave. entrance) where the public is welcome to participate.

Mumbai Jewish Community Bids Slain Chabad Emissaries Tearful Farewell, as Bodies Flown Home

Chilling video of young Moshe crying for his mother – Hebrew

MUMBAI, India — In a tearful ceremony, the Jewish community of Mumbai paid their last respects to Chabad House emissaries Gavriel and Rivka Holtzberg, killed in the terror attack last Wednesday, at the Knesset Eliyahu Synagogue yesterday. Rivka’s parents, Shimon and Yehudit Rosenberg were in attendance, along with the Holtzbergs’ 2-year-old son, Moshe, who survived the attack.

L.A. Chabad mourns couple slain in Mumbai

Jason Song and Ted Rohrlich – LA Times

Hundreds gather Sunday in Westwood to mourn those killed in the Mumbai attacks.
Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times

LOS ANGELES, CA — Jews in Los Angeles on Sunday mourned a slain couple who had run a Mumbai Jewish center besieged by terrorists. As local leaders decried the attack in India, arrangements were underway to move the emissaries’ 2-year-old son Moshe to Israel, where he will live with his maternal grandparents and the nanny who rescued him.

Judah Maccabee to host Olive Press Workshop at Blue Ash Kroger

Shauna Steigerwald – The Enquirer

Rabbi Berel Cohen, director of youth and family programming at Chabad Jewish Center, explains how to use the olive press.

CINCINNATI, OH — This year, Chanukah shopping turns into a family adventure with Chabad Jewish Center at the Blue Ash Kroger. The Olive Press Workshop, hosted by Judah Maccabee, will be staging two free presentations in the kosher department at 3:30 and 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 14.

Op-Ed: The Mumbai Massacre – A Torah Reflection

by Naftali Salomon

The tragedies that unfolded this past week have left us all with sadness, sorrow and mourning; with more questions than answers.

Yet none is greater than the question asked of Hashem by our forefather Avraham in the book of B’reishis. When Hashem informed Avraham of His intent to destroy Sodom for their wicked ways, Avraham asked:

האף תספה, צדיק עם-רשע…חללה לך מעשת כדבר הזה, להמית צדיק עם-רשע, והיה כצדיק, כרשע; חללה לך–השפט כל-הארץ, לא יעשה משפט.

Israeli Consulate’s Mumbai Security Chief Was Arrested En Route to Chabad House Rescue

The Jerusalem Post

Stock Photo – The scene inside the Chabad House after the siege.

MUMBAI, India — The security officer at the Israeli consulate in Mumbai was arrested by Indian police as he raced toward the Chabad House last Wednesday after Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg telephoned to say it was under attack.

The Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem on Sunday confirmed that the officer had been intercepted en route to what he had hoped would be a rescue mission, but stressed that Israel had no complaints with Indian security personnel over the incident.