Hoboken tragedy in Mumbai
02
December
12/2/2008:
Most of you saw the terrible terrorist assault in Mumbai this past weekend. Did you know that two members of the Jewish Organization Chabad of Hoboken were murdered as well?
Hoboken411 received this letter from Rabbi Moshe Z Schapiro:
Mumbai Memorial to be held at Boys & Girls Club
So many of you have called and emailed expressing your pain and shock over the terrible tragedy that took place last week.
Judaism teaches us that we must turn our pain into action, and when darkness befalls us, we must add another light and another good deed to combat the forces of evil.
On this note, we are inviting the entire community to a Memorial Service, where we will pray, reflect, mourn and resolve to go forward.
Please join the community at large as we share our thoughts and prayers for the victims of the recent terror attacks in Mumbai. Rabbi Gavriel & Rivkah Holtzberg, Chabad Lubavitch emissaries to Mumbai, were murdered along with their guests as they were held hostage by the terrorists in the Chabad House. We will gather to remember them along with the other victims in Mumbai, to eternalize their holy work, and to continue the spreading of light and goodness in the world.
We will show a short video presentation in honor of the Holtzbergs and remember all of the other innocent people who were so brutally murdered.
Mayor David Roberts as well as other local dignitaries and area Rabbis will be in attendance .
The Memorial will take place on THURSDAY night, 4th December at the Boys and Girls Club 8-9 pm
Please invite all of your friends to join us for this very momentous occasion and may we be comforted, and henceforth enjoy peace and goodness in all of our lives.
Many of you asked how you can help: A website has been set up where you can donate to a fund that will support little Moishe Holtzberg (who was so courageously rescued by his nanny Sandra Samuel, but who now remains an orphan crying out for his ‘mother’). You can also add your resolution, your thoughts and your memories and learn more about this remarkable couple who were selfless and righteous.
New Jersey, Hoboken, Chabad of Hoboken, Mumbai Terror Attachks
1. MF | December 2nd, 2008 at 11:37 am
i don’t think you have this story factually correct. when reading the initial lines, one gets the impression that these people lived in hoboken/attended that particular synogogue. i don’t believe that is the case - i could be wrong but i think this is the guy from brooklyn who was mentioned on the news and perhaps he is just a part of this organization but not based out of this particular location.
not that it’s any less tragic, obviously.
2. strand tramp | December 2nd, 2008 at 12:29 pm
they don’t have any facilities in hoboken. may have a couple residents who claim they are members perhaps…they try putting their camper/jacuzi thing by the path once in a while, and then the little bald kids with the dreadlocks on the side of their heads stand by the PATH asking everyone if they are jewish, and i think they tried to hold religous servides in an office building but the owner kicked them out and they do their thing in a secret location now. alot like a cult right? secret meetings, code words, lots of kids, hats…
3. Russ | December 2nd, 2008 at 1:52 pm
agreed with #1..tragic, of course..but this post is misleading
4. homeworld | December 2nd, 2008 at 2:59 pm
I didn’t notice a story on 411 about that Indian guy from Hoboken that was shot in that Church in Clifton 2 weeks ago. Another sad story…
5. TrumpT3 | December 2nd, 2008 at 4:23 pm
Chabad is a worldwide organization, and these people were members, but I clicked the links - where does it say they were members of Chabad of Hoboken? If they were, I’m curious to know.
6. CreativeAngel | December 2nd, 2008 at 4:53 pm
On Tuesday, I was on a flight home from Florida. And there were about six people on the plane that were supposed to transfer to a 7:45 PM flight to Mumbai (the final flight of the evening).
Our flight arrived at 7:45, so the six missed their flight– a lucky thing. I’m not sure if they were able to board another the following morning. But it’d be interesting if they had to wait longer… because they would have been saved from the chaos surrounding their destination.
Hope they all made it to Mumbai o.k. So sad to lose people so violently… over stupidity.
7. zxcv | December 3rd, 2008 at 9:49 pm
There really is no Hoboken connection. The couple had lived in India since 2003, and moved there from Crown Heights (Brooklyn).
8. vitaly5678 | December 6th, 2008 at 9:59 pm
Clarification 1: The Chabad couple murdered in India were part of the same organization as Chabad of Hoboken, but they were not members of Hoboken’s Chabad. 411 misworded.
Clarification 2: My wife and I have attended religious services and events at Chabad for several years, and we’ve met hundreds of Jews in the Hoboken community and made many friends. They offer weekly Orthodox services and are welcoming to everyone (regardless of level of observance). They pray according to the traditions of my grandparents, great-grandparents, and generations going back many hundreds of years. Refering to them as a “cult” is not only hateful but obviously foolish.
Clarification 3: The Jews in the area with long side-curls likely belong to the large Chasidic community and school in Union City. They are some of the nicest, devout, and generous people you would ever know but not Chabad (side curls are not Chabad custom). Hoboken is a wonderfully diverse area. It’s too bad not everyone appreciates that.