Chabad tragedy shared

Editorial

Whenever Jews and Israelis travel to the remotest locations, one thing upon which they can often depend is a Chabad House. Uzbekistan, Uruguay, Laos, Nepal, Peru ... almost anywhere a Jew might think to go, there is a tenacious outpost of the Chabad movement, a 250-year-old Jewish educational, outreach and spiritual organization.

One of those houses was the scene of a tragic siege and heartrending mass murder amid the terrorist carnage in Mumbai, India, last week. In all, reports say 188 people lost their lives during a concerted series of terrorist attacks in the Indian city. Among these were six Jews at the Chabad House, including the Chabad shaliach, Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg, and his wife, Rivka.

With the outpouring of grief and sympathy, there have been astounding stories of courage. The nanny of the Holtzbergs' two-year-old, Moshe, escaped the scene, leading the orphaned boy to safety. Astonishingly, in the determination to keep the Mumbai Chabad House open, the late rebbetzin's parents have volunteered to operate the facility until a permanent new shaliach is appointed. Already, another Chabad rabbi and his wife been sent to begin repairs on the damaged building and oversee the house's operations.

Now numbering 3,300 houses and 4,000 emissary families like the Holtzbergs welcoming wandering Jews worldwide, Chabad is one of the most visible, active and welcoming faces of Jewish life. The recent tragedy reminds us of both the determination of the Chabad movement to reach Jews wherever they may be and the occasional danger associated with doing so. The world is an unpredictable place, perhaps especially now, and, as the Mumbai attacks so tragically illustrate, Jews are often sought out as targets, even in the most obscure locations. As the world mourns all the victims of this awful catastrophe, and as Jews gather to hold vigil for our own, it is worth reflecting on all that the Chabad movement has done to build among disparate Jews a worldwide mishpachah that shares the suffering of this tragedy no matter where we live.

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