Hope Lives on After Mumbai Attacks

Last week attacks rocked not only Mumbai but the whole world. When the smoke cleared, about 180 people were dead and many more injured. Five of the dead are Americans, two of them from Brooklyn, and one a former New York resident.

Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg, 29, and his wife Rivka, 28, moved from Crown Heights, Brooklyn to Mumbai in 2003 to head the Chabad-Lubavitch community living in India and Jewish travelers with a place to gather as well as spiritual guidance. They were among the six people killed in the attack on Noriman House which also included a former leader of New York’s Satmar community, Leibish Teitelbaum who supervised the preparation of Kosher food at the Noriman House and three Jewish foreign nationals.

Alan Scherr, 58 and his 13-year-old daughter Naomi of Nelson County, Virginia were killed while eating at the café of the Oberoi hotel. They were in India on a trip with the Synchronicity Foundation, taking classes on meditation and spirituality.

“I am deeply saddened by the tragic deaths due to the terrorist attacks in Mumbai. My thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of those injured and killed. My prayers also go to Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg and his wife, Rivka, who dedicated years of service to Mumbai’s Jewish community, and to the people of India and the Indian-American community here at home,” said Congressman Anthony Weiner who represents New York’s 9th district.

Greenpoint Resident Manjula Mukhopadhyay is a dual citizen of the United States and India. Every year she travels to India with her husband and family to visit relatives and take in the beautiful sights. Desptie the attacks, she plans to go next November to celebrate the Festival of Lights, though she expressed concern about her future travels to India.

“I’m a regular human with a family,” said Mukhopadhyay. “Of course I’m concerned, especially when I’m holding an American passport.”

Rabbi Shmuly Lein of Chabad-Lebavitch of North Brooklyn was a personal friend of the Holtzbergs. Although he called the attacks “a terrible disaster beyond description,” he said people have already been appointed to replace the Holtzbergs in Mumbai.

“The world was attacked. The only response is to be stronger, when terrorists increase to evil it’s our responsibility to respond with increasing goodness and kindness and light. The best way to fight darkness is with light.”