Special: Photo Gallery of the Chabad House in Mumbai
At this time the attention of world is turned to the city of Mumbai in India where its nearly 48 hours since terror has gripped the city, and Rabbi Gavriel and his wife Rivka Holtzberg Shluchim to the city have been believed to be trapped inside the Chabad House, Nariman House. A few months ago photographer Meir Elfasi spent some time there.
More pictures in the Extended Article.
G-ds right hand man
Well it doesn’t look like that anymore
Thank g-d for pictures
Hodu LaHashem Ki Tov......
My heart breaks……what a horrible thing. With all the achdus that was shown in davening for the Holtzberg’s…maybe in their zechus we should continue to treat our fellows Jews with kindness and respect. Let us all make a hachlutah that we should avoid the shmutz on the web, especially the shmutz put out by former members of our community who continue to make us look bad on a daily basis. Moshiach Now!
es
The blood is now one of our own. Lives dedicated to the mission of the Rebbe cut down in cold-blood murder by Islamic terror. Remaining as spectators in this cultural war of terror cannot be an option. After we mourn, we must summon the will to respond with determination equal to the enemies that face us. The Rebbe has given us the power to defeat these killers and all who are like them. Finding success in our old routines will prove to be false solace. How long will it take for us to summon the strength and focus to use the weapons given to us?
The Rebbe’s Chassidus, specifically about Geula, is the atomic weapon at our disposal. Its depths should be plumbed, studied, and its most radical forecasts and philosophy clearly presented. It is time for us to take a public stand in this cultural conflict. We must tell the world that the current economic and violent chaos signifies the final act before the Geula. Let’s not hide from the obvious meaning of basi lgani 5711. The Rebbe told us that the revelation of chassidus, beyond all else, is the critical and final catalyst for the Geula shlaima. It time to stop avoiding our destiny by pandering to imaginary notions of prestige and impression within the orthodox world which cause us to filter our content.
Discussions regarding the identity of Moshiach have caused much controversy and division. But we fail the Rebbe’s calling if we relegate the topic of Geula to anything less then the all-pervasive notion he told us it must be. The Rebbe articulated this at the kinus hashluchim in 5752, (1992). It is time to bring out the big guns, get over our fears and inhibitions, to give the world the full and complete transmission of the Rebbe’s message about the redemption. The Rebbe’s teachings on Geula are an unstoppable force, which will crush Islamic Jihad and all enemies of peace without firing a shot. We fail the world by not embracing this mission without compromise.
There is a way to overtly focus everything on Moshiach and Geula and at the same time avoid controversy. Chassidus gives one the tools to do so. It only requires the will. The world is waiting for Chabad as a whole to express loud and clear in one voice that Moshiach is about to come and the Rebbe’s Chassidus is the key. Blaming reluctance to do so on mishichist activities is like a doctor holding back life saving treatment because the last doctor in town created a bad reputation for the industry.
If you don’t like the way Moshiach and Geula has been represented, then redeem the subject, but don’t drop the mission and life saving treatment for the world. Alternatively we all know that some antagonists will always remain so. Why deny our destiny because of them?
This is precisely why the Rebbe said that learning about the Geula and Moshiach is the key to hastening its arrival. It is not enough to give the subject matter topical treatment, relegating it to the final line in speeches or sighing about it as if it’s the cosmic aspirin for bad times. It is a vast subject matter, treated most clearly within chassidus. How it will come, why it will come, what is the meaning of it, why is it coming now, why is chassidus so central to it. These are all questions we have the answers to and the world is waiting for us to deliver.
The Rabee’im have told us that Chabad Chasidim are the soldiers of the house of David. Chassidus is the weapon we were given for the purpose of Geula. We must publicly self identify ourselves as such. It is the only way to achieve victory over Golus and Islamic jihad.
No longer can we take peace for granted. No longer should we organize ourselves on the premise of safety and prosperity. The chaos of this era is our chaos. The war on terror is our war. The longer we fail to respond to it with the unadulterated messianic ideology of the Rebbe’s Chassidus the longer we invite its consequence into our midst.
message
The news couldn’t be any worse, however like the Rebbe said many times, vehachai yitain el liboi.
when will the “leaders” of Shlichus get the message.
you can’t just “kill” shluchim indiscriminately by ignoring Din Torah,
you can’t just snuff shluchims lives out from underneath them by the whims of your ego and arrogance.
when will these “leaders” have more concern for all of us, than their own power and image and stop playing their games at the expense of entire “shlichus” families.
When will the Shluchim realize they must stand up to the dictatorship and open disregard for moral and ethical behavior from these “leaders” and not let all the dishonesty behind the scenes and backstabbing continue on.????
Let’s wake up and use this call for improvement and when we’re clean inside, Be-ezras Hashem no more will Shluchims lives be snuffed out from anyone anymore.
Was it known before?
According to chabad.org, security forces said that the Chabad House was targeted-how did they know that? If they knoew it before, did they inform Chabad?
Reb Yid
Anon-11:12a- Now is not the time to use this tragedy as a forum for your political views. No Jew killed anyone here. This was a crime purpotrated by Muslim savages and has nothing to do with the Shluchim Office. Lets pull together here and do good things in the zechus of these neshomos. Enough with the loshon horah, enough with the shmutz! Right here under our noses we have bloggers who make a chilul lubavitch and a chilul hashem on a daily basis! WHY??? Because we cannot resist the urge to hear loshon horah, participate in rechilus and help these bitter people carry on their hateful agenda. Its time we take back our dignity and stamp out the evil.
Daniel Avi-s Mama
Their deaths is a knife in the heart of every Jew. May their child grow to know how special and beautiful his parents were.
Policeman
Chabad shluchim always pride themselves as being on the front lines of Yiddishkeit all over the globe. Those of us who have worked in such places, or visited some far-away Chabad outpost while in a foreign country, know what sacrifices they make. Their motivation is 100% Ahavas Yisroel. They certainly don’t go to third world countries expecting fame and fortune. Their work is love. Nobody gets turned away from the door of a Chabad House, regardless of religion or beliefs.
Those of us who have been inside the Lubavitch world know that shluchim represent the best of the best that Lubavitch has to offer; they are exemplary people, originally hand-picked by the Rebbe.
Tragedy strikes shluchim- car accidents, illness, crime victim- but this (I believe) is the first time in the 60 years of the shluchims’ global mission that anyone was murdered specifically for being who they were.
The shaliach from Port Washington NY was just interviewed on CNN. He said the best thing people can do right now is to show acts of kindness towards others, say hello to a stranger, put on tefillin if you’re Jewish, light Shabbos candles this evening. It was a very touching interview he gave. No negativity, just a message for people to do good deeds. Classic Lubavitch, the way the Rebbe meant it to be.
heartbroken
Rav Paltiel, a Chabad shaliach on Long Island appeared on CNN this morning.
He spoke of how great was the Torah knowledge of Rav Holtzberg. He could have spent his time writing seforim, or been a Rosh Yeshiva. Instead, he chose to go all the way to India to help people.
He mentioned that tomorrow, Shabbat, is the birthday of the 2 year old son of the shaliach, Moshe, who escaped with the nanny. He asked that everyone honor Moshe’s birthday with acts of kindness, putting on Tefillin, and giving charity.
Yaffa
May this child always be reminded of the beauty, piety and dedication his parents gave to the world.
Ad Mosai wrote:
What a sombre Rosh Chodesh Kislev……….H. Y. D.!!
Miriam Vexler Savoia
to the Holtzberg’s family (parents,and their children).no words to consol for sure in this moment,but here from Brazil were they once lived we feel very sorry.I had the chance to spend many shabbs by their home in \Crown Heights when I learned with his sister(Gavriel’sister,Dvorie) (20 years ago) in Beth Rivka and I met her 2 years ago in Sucot and we talked for few minutes and she asked how was in Brazil and I told her I already have 5 children(now¨6 B”H) and she told me little about her and we said bye to each other.Well I just want to tell that I know her feeling because when I lost my sister Goldie Setton in Israel she (Dvorie)called to mourn my family . With my truth sorry,I live this words.I’m sorry for the English but this no matter , what’s matter now that is too late for Moshiach come and finish with all sufering and bring back those who we loved so much.Miriam Vexler was my single name.That no soffering should be seen anymore.
believer
its just a sign that moshiach is comming and all YOU can do is just believe and hope have emuna its all we can do