World File :: Chabad Rabbi, Wife Killed In Mumbai Attacks

Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg and his wife, Rivka, the Chabad emissaries in Mumbai, were killed in the terrorist attacks that began Nov. 26, 2008 in India. (Chabad.org)

(JTA) – A Chabad rabbi and his wife were among the dead after Indian forces retook a Jewish center in Mumbai, India from terrorist gunmen.

The deaths of Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg and his wife, Rivka, the Chabad emissaries in Mumbai, were confirmed Friday by the director of American Friends of Lubavitch, Rabbi Levi Shemtov. Three other Israelis in the building were also killed; their names were not released.

Conflicting reports following the takeover of Mumbai's Chabad-Lubavitch house in the terrorist attacks in India, which left more than 140 dead, prompted confusion and anxiety surrounding the fate of the house's occupants, including the Holtzbergs.

Four Israelis were among those freed from the Trident-Oberoi luxury hotel along with other hostages late Friday morning, according to the Israeli Foreign Ministry.

Gunmen armed with automatic rifles and grenades struck 10 separate locations in Mumbai on Wednesday night in coordinated attacks at sites frequented by Westerners, including hotels, restaurants and a railway station. Witnesses said the gunmen -- who killed more than 140 people, set buildings ablaze and took hostages -- targeted Americans, Britons and Jews. Mumbai's Chabad house was among the targets.

On Thursday afternoon, Indian commandos surrounded the Nariman House, where Chabad is located, with plans to storm in and release the hostages. There reportedly were four terrorists holed up inside with six hostages. Indian special forces reportedly killed one terrorist in the building.

Earlier Thursday, the hostage takers released the Holtzberg's 2-year-old son and the building's cook, who said that the couple was alive but unconscious.

The terrorists also took hostages at the Taj Mahal Palace and Trident-Oberoi luxury hotels. The identity of the attackers is not known. A little-known organization calling itself the Deccan Mujahideen has claimed responsibility.

One terrorist inside the Chabad house called an Indian TV channel Thursday afternoon and offered to enter into talks with the government to release the hostages, Reuters reported.

The Chabad house is located at 5 Hormusji Street in Mumbai. India is a popular destination for young Israeli backpackers, who often make the trip after their army service. The Holtzbergs moved to Mumbai from Brooklyn, New York in 2003 to do Jewish outreach work in India.

One Indian TV channel said five or six Israelis were also among the 100 to 200 hostages being held at the Oberoi hotel, Ynet reported. Some 10 to 15 Israelis are said to be held hostage in sites throughout the city, the Israeli Foreign Ministry told Ynet.

Concern about the fate of the Chabad rabbi and his wife mounted throughout the day, with the Brooklyn-based organization issuing calls for prayer to Jews the world over. The National Council of Young Israel also sent out an alert asking Jews to pray for the rabbi and his wife.

"One friend of Gavriel Holtzberg reported receiving an e-mail from the Mumbai rabbi at 11:30 p.m. local time," Chabad.org reported. "The Israeli Consulate was in touch with Holtzberg, but the line was cut in middle of the conversation. No further contact has since been established."

On Thursday morning, according to the Jerusalem Post, the Chabad rabbi's toddler son was rushed from the house in the arms of one of the Jewish center's employees, Sandra Samuel.

"I took the child, I just grabbed the baby and ran out," said Samuel, 44, who was identified as a cook.

World File :: Rabbi, Wife Among Hostages In Mumbai

JERUSALEM (JTA) – A Jewish family being held hostage in the Mumbai, India, Chabad house may be dead, senior Israeli officials are saying.

Rabbi Gavriel and Rivka Holtzberg, and possibly six others, have been held since Wednesday night amid multiple, coordinated terrorist attacks that have killed at least 100.

On Thursday afternoon, Indian commandos surrounded the Nariman House, where Chabad is located, with plans to storm in and release the hostages, according to reports. There are reportedly four terrorists holed up inside with up to six hostages. Indian special forces killed one terrorist in the building.

Earlier Thursday, the hostage takers released the Holzberg's two-year-old son and the building's cook, who said that the couple was unconscious, Ynet reported.

The terrorists were apparently aiming at tourists in the country's financial center when the attacks began Wednesday night. They attacked using automatic rifles and grenades in areas frequented by Westerners including hotels, restaurants and the railway station. Some 300 people were injured in the attacks.

The Israel consul in Mumbai on Thursday morning told Israel Radio they were working to locate approximately 25 Israelis known to be in the area who have not contacted their families at home.

The terrorists have been holding hostages in the Taj Mahal and Trident-Oberoi luxury hotels, and reportedly looked for guests holding British and American passports.

The identity of the attackers is not known. A little-known organization calling itself the Deccan Mujahideen has claimed responsibility.

One terrorist inside the Chabad house called an Indian television channel Thursday afternoon and offered to enter into talks with the government to release the hostages, Reuters reported.

The Chabad house is located at 5 Hormusji Street in Mumbai. India is a popular destination for young Israeli backpackers, who often make the trip after their army service.

One Indian television channel said 5 or 6 Israelis were also among the 100 to 200 hostages being held at the Oberoi hotel, Ynet reported. Some 10 to 15 Israelis are said to be held hostage in sites throughout the city, the Foreign Ministry told Ynet.

"One friend of Gavriel Holtzberg reported receiving an e-mail from the Mumbai rabbi at 11:30 p.m. local time," Chabad.org reported. "The Israeli Consulate was in touch with Holtzberg, but the line was cut in middle of the conversation. No further contact has since been established."

On Thursday morning, according to the Jerusalem Post, the Chabad rabbi's toddler son was rushed from the house in the arms of one of the Jewish center's employees, Sandra Samuel.

"I took the child, I just grabbed the baby and ran out," said Samuel, 44, who was identified as a cook.

She said that the rabbi, his wife and two other unidentified guests were alive but unconscious, the Jerusalem Post reported.

Nation File :: O.U. Confab Spotlighting Jerusalem

November 26, 2008
By Ron Kampeas

WASHINGTON (JTA) -- A call on Barack Obama to move the United State embassy to Jerusalem will be a centerpiece of the Orthodox Union's biennial convention.

The umbrella group for North American Orthodox congregations held its last two biennial conventions in Jerusalem, but had planned to hold this year's event in New York. Plans were changed to again go to Jerusalem "as a show of support for Israel at its 60th anniversary and as a reflection of the Orthodox Union's concern that Jerusalem will be divided in peace negotiations with the Palestinians," a statement said.

On Thursday, participants will meet at a West Jerusalem site held by the United States should it ever decide to move its embassy from Tel Aviv and view an enlarged version of a petition signed by O.U. congregations calling on Israel "to oppose and reject any proposal or plan to relinquish any part of Yerushalayim to any foreign authority."

Speakers will include Stephen Savitsky, the O.U. president. An O.U. release emphasized that the event and the call are "non-confrontational."

"The OU hopes to return to this site for the opening of the Embassy, perhaps together with President Obama, during his first term in office," the release stated.

Israel File :: Mazuz to Olmert - Indictment Likely

November 26, 2008
By Marcy Oster

JERUSALEM (JTA) -- Israel's attorney general said he is considering charges against Ehud Olmert for allegedly using public funds to finance family vacations.

Attorney General Menachem Mazuz on Wednesday informed the Israeli prime minister's lawyer that he is mulling several counts in what is becoming known as the Rishon Tours double-billing scandal.

Olmert is under investigation in six unrelated cases, including the Talansky Affair, in which he is alleged to have received illegal contributions from American businessman Morris Talansky over the course of 15 years. The flurry of investigations led Olmert to tender his resignation, which will become effective after new national elections in February.

Under the alleged double-billing scheme, on 12 separate occasions, more than one public body was asked to finance the same flight for Olmert's working trips abroad when he was mayor of Jerusalem and later as a government minister. The extra money was put into an account at the tours office and then used to pay for family members when they booked personal vacations.

Olmert can request a hearing with the attorney general on the matter before Mazuz makes a final decision.

Olmert's former bureau chief Shula Zaken also was informed that she faces indictment in the double-billing case.

Feature :: Study Shows Attending Services Cuts Women's Death Risk

November 25, 2008
By Marcy Oster

JERUSALEM (JTA) -- Regular attendance at religious services reduces the risk of death for women by 20 percent, according to a new study.

The study by researchers at Yeshiva University and its Albert Einstein College of Medicine was published Nov. 17 in the Psychology and Health journal.

The researchers evaluated the religious practices of 92,395 women aged 50 to 79 participating in the Women's Health Initiative, a national, long-term study aimed at addressing women’s health issues and funded by the National Institutes of Health.

Those who said they attended religious services at least once a week showed a 20 percent mortality risk reduction compared with those not attending services at all. The study did not attempt to measure spirituality; its authors stress that it examined self-reported measures of religiosity.

The study adjusted for the women's participation in organizations and group activities that promote a strong social life and enjoyable routines, behaviors known to lead to overall wellness.

“Interestingly, the protection against mortality provided by religion cannot be entirely explained by expected factors that include enhanced social support of friends or family, lifestyle choices and reduced smoking and alcohol consumption,” said Dr. Eliezer Schnall, the lead author of the study. “There is something here that we don’t quite understand. It is always possible that some unknown or unmeasured factors confounded these results.”

Nation File :: Brzezinski, Scowcroft To Obama: Peace First

November 21, 2008
By Ron Kampeas

WASHINGTON (JTA) - Two former national security advisers close to Barack Obama advised the president-elect to outline the contours of a Palestinian-Israeli settlement as soon as possible.

"We believe that the Arab-Israeli peace process is one issue that requires priority attention," Zbigniew Brzezinski and Brent Scowcroft wrote in the Washington Post opinion page on Friday. "The major elements of an agreement are well known. A key element in any new initiative would be for the U.S. president to declare publicly what, in the view of this country, the basic parameters of a fair and enduring peace ought to be. These should contain four principal elements: 1967 borders, with minor, reciprocal and agreed-upon modifications; compensation in lieu of the right of return for Palestinian refugees; Jerusalem as real home to two capitals; and a nonmilitarized Palestinian state."

Multiple reports in recent days have revealed that Scowcroft, the national security adviser to President Ford and the first President Bush, has advised Obama since before his run for the presidency.

Obama staffers have denied that Brzezinski, President Carter’s national security adviser, was a campaign adviser; however, they acknowledge that Obama solicited Brzezinski’s endorsement, and Brzezinski acted as a surrogate for Obama on a campaign call with Democrats Abroad.

The Washington Post piece, entitled "Middle East priorities for Jan. 21," says that "not everyone in the Middle East views the Palestinian issue as the greatest regional challenge, but the deep sense of injustice it stimulates is genuine and pervasive." Achieving a deal would "change the region’s psychological climate, putting Iran back on the defensive and putting a stop to its swagger."

It recommends the appointment of a Middle East peace envoy, cautioning however that such an appointment must follow, not precede, Obama’s outline for peace.

In order to assuage Israeli concerns about the Palestinian capability to contain terrorism, the writers counsel the creation of an international peacekeeping force which would also train Palestinian Authority police.

Both men are staunch "realists" who opposed the Iraq war, casting their beliefs against those of neoconservatives.

Brzezinski is perceived by some in the pro-Israel community as hostile to the close U.S.-Israel alliance, and he has joined others in decrying what he deems the excessive influence of the pro-Israel lobby.

During the campaign, staffers insisted that the candidate was closer to the views of his adviser Dennis Ross, the Clinton era negotiator who counseled dealing with Iran before getting deeply involved in the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, which he suggested were premature.