Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg and his wife Rivka Holtzberg are two of the victims in the Mumbai Attacks. They operated the Chabad-Lubavitch Jewish Center called ‘Nariman House’ in the heart of Mumbai, India and were killed during an apparent standoff between Indian military forces and terrorists. Read more about Rabbi Holtzberg and his wife Rivka, see photos, and a video.
Rabbi Gavriel and Rivka Holtzberg
UPDATED 12/02/08: As if this horrible story could get any worse, today it was reported that the Holtzberg’s 2 y.o son, Moshe, was actually beaten by the terrorists and Rivka his mom, was 6 months pregnant.
UPDATED 11/30/08: It has been determined that the Holtzbergs and the other hostages from Nariman House had been tortured by the terrorists before being killed.
In 2003, Rabbi Gavriel and Rivka Holtzberg, both Israeli-born but living in Brooklyn, left New York to run the Chabad Center known as the Nariman House in Mumbai, India where they managed a synagogue and led religious classes and other social and outreach activities.
Rabbi Holtzberg, age 29, grew up in Brooklyn and was a citizen of both the United States and Israel. His 28-year-old wife, Rivka, was born in Afula, Israel. Friends described her as always having a positive outlook and a kind word for everyone.
They had been married six years and had 2 children. Their older son, who had been ill, was staying in Israel when the terrorist attacks occurred.
Miraculously, the Holtzbergs’ toddler son, Moshe, who turns 2 on Saturday, was spirited out of the house by the family’s nanny who heard his cries outside the room she had barricaded herself in. He is with his maternal grandparents who have flown from Israel to India.
Rabbi Yehuda Krinsky, who leads the Chabad-Lubavitch movement in Brooklyn, broke down when describing Rabbi Holtzberg as “the finest and nicest gentleman that you can imagine.”
“You never saw him without a smile. He was ‘a real mensch [person of honor].’ We’ll miss him very, very dearly. He was a very special person, him and his wife.â€?
“His fears were not fears of terrorism. His fears were of maybe not being able to help as many people as he’d like. Their selfless love will live on with all the people they touched. We will continue the work they started.â€?
Besides the Holtzbergs, four others were found dead inside Nariman House. They were another rabbi from Brooklyn who was living in Israel named Leibish Teitelbaum; Bentzion Chroman, an Israeli with dual American citizenship; and two unidentified Israeli women.
A fund has been established to help the Holtzberg’s young children and to rebuild the work they established in Mumbai. If you would like to donate, you can contact the Chabad of Mumbai Relief Fund.
Rabbi Gavriel and Rivka Holtzberg Photos
Rabbi Gavriel and Rivka Holtzberg News Conference Video
November 29th, 2008 at 1:29 am
Geepers. Didn’t the wide-eyed morons who voted for Obama promise a peaceful world. This is not change we can believe in.
November 29th, 2008 at 6:50 am
It’ll be a tricky situation for Obama if these punks succeed in stirring up tensions between India and Pakistan.
Not that they ever did settle the Kashmir situation.
Maybe he’ll bail em both out.
November 29th, 2008 at 8:59 am
These civilians killed represent a lot of talent. The Americans were traveling and learning about new things in India they could bring home and were great messanger exchangers between our cultures. They were not like the aggressive crowd that ran over the day worker in the Store in Long Island to buy things on the cheap. We have lost some of our best people during these terror wars both civilian and miliatary, educated, trained, creative, dedicated, self-less, and our cultural explorers. Obviously al queda is behind the coordination of this with a willing terror organization. Pakistan is such a mess, the prime minister should visit the indian minister and make a joint press conference and committmant to go after all the terrorists and to also settle the kasmir situation once and for all as part of a package deal. We, as a world, need to go in and clean out northwestern pakistan’s terror swamp now while we can come together and under a new pakistani president. Apparently the newly appointed major general of the Paki security forces was just assasinated, and he was given the green light to clean up the ISI. Sounds to me like they should disband the ISI and start up a new agency, but it would take some serious political will and risk also. I don’t understand why the ISI is so powerful in Pakistan or who they really answer too but I think that is how the old president kept relative peace with them letting the Taliban and al queda operate freely outside of a few show arrests and paramiliatry battles for international prestige. Is pakistan a failed state? How were they able to marshall resources so effectively to make nuclear wepons. And yes the khan rogue nuclear network. What a mess that place is, and far more dangerous to the world than afghanistan.
November 29th, 2008 at 9:24 am
The Islamo-fascists who murdered several hundred people last week in Mumbai are waging war on all Infidels. This is a religious conflict; make no mistake about it. Doubtless, the usual suspects will be back in a few days, blaming everything on Israel - and they will still claim that they are just anti-Zionist and not antisemites.
The great danger of antisemitism is not simply that innocent Jews will get beat up but that non-Jews will have their attention turned in the wrong direction while real threats fall upon them. Antisemites have long been screeching about the “Jewish plot to take over the world” - all while Islam really IS taking over the world. Look at Muslim immigration to N and S America, Europe and Australia and how problematic it has been everywhere. Look at OPEC policy and its effect on the global and local economies everywere. Look radicalism and fundamentalism even in so-called “moderate” and “friendly” Arab and Islamic states like Saudi Arabia and Egypt. Look at the funding for global Jihad everywhere. Anyone who views all these facts and still somehow sees a Jewish plot is an antisemite - and endangers not only innocent Jews but innocent non-Jews, as well.
Wake up. You are next.
November 29th, 2008 at 9:48 am
I think we need to understand and accept the fact that islamofascism is both real and very primative projective thinking. Its psychopathic, yet some feel because it embraces “a” religion its somehow sanctified with a higher cause. But the primativeness of the thinking really stands out, its very primary process, self involved, religio-centric and projective. Note that all they say about others could even be more easily applied to themselves. Extreme projective thinking is found in schizophrenic thinking where split off parts of self are projected onto others and scapegoated there. then put an ak47 into these cheerie hands and one sand storm too many……
December 1st, 2008 at 3:56 pm
It is time to deal with Pakistan. That is 1 point that I agreed with Obama on. The terrorists are a result of the multi-generational efforts of corrupt dictators to distract their populations from the fact that they ruined any future that the young might have had by using the west and Israel as scapegoats.
BO is going (eventually) to come to the conclusion that there is only 1 way to deal with the the terrorists - cut off the head and I don’t mean just Bin Laden.
December 2nd, 2008 at 6:32 am
When Evil Rears Its Ugly Head
I try not to watch the news too closely
As invisible tears fill my heart with pain,
I generally hear what is going on in the world
As the media and sounds of sorrow seem everywhere;
I wonder if there will come a time
When pain and sorrow no longer linger,
The blame is all around
For some treacherous pride wins points, for others fear and fame;
I think and wonder what can I say and do
To abate and turn this tide,
Little is often the answer
The problems overwhelm me so;
I have no guns, no bullets, no exploding vests
To hide around my chest,
I only have my love for you
And the truth about the unrest;
If I treat you well as you treat me
The Golden Rule applies,
When one of us fails to abide by decency
Our humanity begins to cry;
I am my brother’s keeper
My sisters suffer too,
I can clean the spot inside of me
Before I blame you too;
Religion, politics, power and fame
Greed, revenge and madness fan the flames,
Gets under our skins to rip our comfort
To test our will to try;
We can not make sense out of madness,
But like the lowly spider,
We must start again
To rebuild our torn world of dreams.
© - Idris F. Bilal - December 2, 2008
December 3rd, 2008 at 7:19 am
[...] 2 on saturday. his dad and mom, rabbi gavriel and rivka holtzberg were terribly tortured before being killed by the terrorists in mumbai, india. rivka, his mom, was 6 months [...]
December 5th, 2008 at 2:15 am
I respect every religion (including Islam)because I believe they all teach good things and non-satanic. Now i doubt, does the Allah of the terrorists really want them to attack people? be it innocent/non-innocents, Jews/non-Jews, American/British, does their Allah wanted that terror to happen??? Is their Allah happy when Rabbi Gavriel and Rivka Holtzberg lost their lives when on a mission to help the needy? Is their Allah really happy to see the couple’s baby becoming an orphan?
Why sell your religion you coward terrorists?? Nobody would buy that! As far as Islam is concerned, I dont think all the answers to my questions would be “yes” if so, then your religion is satanic!! and your god is satan!
Why hide your identity you coward terrorists??
The world is intelligent enough to find out your evil mastermind.
and still threatens to do more??? then come on out!! buy a ticket,and attack in an open air! your cowardness is worse than gays.
Good God does not want His children to murder in His Name.