2008 Woodie Awards
Memorial to be held for Mumbai deaths
Ben Williams, Collegian Staff
Issue date: 12/2/08 Section: News
There will be a memorial in the Campus Center tonight for the Rabbi Gavriel Noach Holtzberg and his wife, Rivka, who were killed in the recent attacks on Mumbai.
Holtzberg, 29 and, Rivka, 28, were killed when terrorists attacked the Chabad movment's headquarters in Mumbai last week, according The Guardian.
Their 2-year-old son escaped with a headquarters staff member.
"I think that when we see tragic events such as terror attacks like this, you think about those kinds of terrible evil forces, 'I can't do anything about that,'" said Hillel House Rabbi David Ruderman.
"[But] at UMass, we are a community of professors and people at the University who flock together and are against terror and make a statement against terror and refuse to be intimidated by [terrorists], and on the contrary use it as an opportunity to come together," he said.
The memorial is co-sponsored by the University of Massachusetts Hillel House and the Chabad House At Amherst.
Ruderman said the memorial will feature speakers and candles in honor of the deceased.
Holtzberg was an Israeli-born American who moved to Brooklyn as a teenager. He was a part of the growing Chabad-Lubavitch movement, whose main headquarters are in Brooklyn, according to The New York Times.
The movement is a denomination of the Hasidic faith that works to deepen the faith of secular Jews.
Chabad Houses around the world serve as places of worship for Jewish people, and are headed almost exclusively by young Jewish couples.
In 2003, the Holtzbergs opened the Chabad House in Mumbai and had run it ever since, according to The New York Times.
Chabad leaders said the Mumbai Chabad House will remain open.
The memorial will be held tonight in Campus Center 165-169 starting at 5:30 p.m.
Ben Williams can be reached at bwilliams@dailycollegian.com.
Holtzberg, 29 and, Rivka, 28, were killed when terrorists attacked the Chabad movment's headquarters in Mumbai last week, according The Guardian.
Their 2-year-old son escaped with a headquarters staff member.
"I think that when we see tragic events such as terror attacks like this, you think about those kinds of terrible evil forces, 'I can't do anything about that,'" said Hillel House Rabbi David Ruderman.
"[But] at UMass, we are a community of professors and people at the University who flock together and are against terror and make a statement against terror and refuse to be intimidated by [terrorists], and on the contrary use it as an opportunity to come together," he said.
The memorial is co-sponsored by the University of Massachusetts Hillel House and the Chabad House At Amherst.
Ruderman said the memorial will feature speakers and candles in honor of the deceased.
Holtzberg was an Israeli-born American who moved to Brooklyn as a teenager. He was a part of the growing Chabad-Lubavitch movement, whose main headquarters are in Brooklyn, according to The New York Times.
The movement is a denomination of the Hasidic faith that works to deepen the faith of secular Jews.
Chabad Houses around the world serve as places of worship for Jewish people, and are headed almost exclusively by young Jewish couples.
In 2003, the Holtzbergs opened the Chabad House in Mumbai and had run it ever since, according to The New York Times.
Chabad leaders said the Mumbai Chabad House will remain open.
The memorial will be held tonight in Campus Center 165-169 starting at 5:30 p.m.
Ben Williams can be reached at bwilliams@dailycollegian.com.
Viewing Comments 1 - 3 of 4
Ryan
posted 12/02/08 @ 3:32 PM EST
So Hillel is united against terrorism and condemns this tragic event (as they should)....why are they only honoring the Jews that were killed? What about the 200+ other people that were murdered? Are their lives not worth mentioning or honoring? I can see them wanting to honor their fellow Jews but Ruderman shouldn't make these broad statements showing such soldarity with the global fight against terrorism if they are only concerned with Jewish victims. (Continued…)
Rabbi Ruderman
posted 12/03/08 @ 11:25 AM EST
Ryan,
We did focus on all of the victims of the attack. You would know that had you bothered to come to the memorial.
Instead of taking issue with Jewish campus groups, I think you should be asking yourself, "Why do my leaders express their desire for conquest with the shameful tactic of terrorism"?
What are you, Ryan, doing to combat Jihad terror?
-RR
Acai
posted 12/21/08 @ 12:17 PM EST
Great information. Thanks for the post.
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