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{{Short description|American-Israeli rabbi.}}
{{Infobox Jewish leader
| honorific-prefix = Rabbi
| name = Gavriel Noach Holtzberg<br>{{Script/Hebrew|גבריאל נח הולצברג}}
| honorific-suffix =
| title =
| image = Rivka and Gavriel Holtzberg.jpg
| caption = Rivka and Gavriel Holtzberg
| began =
| semicha =
| rabbi =
| rank =
| other_post =
| birth_name =
| birth_date = 9 June 1979
| birth_place = [[Kiryat Malakhi]], Israel
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2008|11|26|1979|6|9|df=y}}<ref name="Orphan">{{cite news|url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2008454406_apindiamoshe.html|title=Orphan of slain rabbi in Mumbai lands in Israel|agency=[[Associated Press]]|first=Mark|last=Lavie|date=1 December 2008}}</ref>
| death_place = [[Mumbai]], [[Maharashtra]], [[India]]
| buried = 2 December 2008<br>[[Mount of Olives]], [[Jerusalem]], Israel<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.ajn.com.au/news/news.asp?pgID=6699 |title="Jerusalem funeral of Mumbai rabbi", Australian Jewish News, 3 December 2008 |access-date=30 December 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090106045136/http://www.ajn.com.au/news/news.asp?pgID=6699 |archive-date=6 January 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| nationality = American and Israeli
| residence = Mumbai, India
| parents = Nachman and Freida Holtzberg
| spouse = Rivka Rosenberg
| children = {{ubl|Menachem Mendel (2003–2006)|Dov Ber (2004–2008)|Moshe Tzvi (b. November 2006)}}
| occupation = Rabbi of [[Nariman House|Mumbai Chabad House]]
| profession =
| employer =
| alma_mater =
| signature =
}}
'''Gavriel Noach Holtzberg''' ({{lang-he|גבריאל נח הולצברג}}; June 9, 1979 – November 26, 2008 (1st of Kislev, 5769) was an [[Israeli American]] [[Orthodox Judaism|Orthodox]] [[rabbi]] and the [[Shaliach (Chabad)|Chabad emissary]] to [[Mumbai]], India, where he and his wife Rivka ran the [[Nariman House|Mumbai Chabad House]]. He was also a religious leader and community builder for the local [[Jewish Indian]] community,<ref name="JTA"/><ref>{{cite journal|title=Questions churn about attackers|journal=[[The Commercial Appeal]]|date=30 November 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/news/x424891135/Ashland-man-worries-for-friend-in-Mumbai|title=Ashland man worries for friend in Mumbai|newspaper=[[The MetroWest Daily News]]|first=Michael|last=Morton|date=27 November 2008}}</ref> and led the Friday-night [[Shabbat]] services at the [[Knesset Eliyahoo]] synagogue.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/03/world/asia/03jews.html?_r=1&sq=synagogue&pagewanted=print|title=Jews of Mumbai, a Tiny and Eclectic Group, Suddenly Reconsider Their Serene Existence|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|first=Jeremy|last=Kahn|date=3 December 2008|page=A16}}</ref> Holtzberg and his wife were murdered during the [[2008 Mumbai attacks]] perpetrated by Islamic militant group [[Lashkar-e-Taiba]].

==Early life and family==
Holtzberg was born in [[Israel]] to Nachman and Freida Holtzberg. He and his family moved to the [[Crown Heights, Brooklyn|Crown Heights]] neighborhood in [[Brooklyn]], [[New York State|New York]], when he was 9 years old. He had eight siblings. During his years in elementary school, he memorised the entire Second Order of the [[Mishnah]], [[Moed]] verbatim and was a two-time champion in a competition of memorizing the [[Mishnah]].<ref name="CHA">[http://www.chabad.org/news/article_cdo/aid/773691/jewish/Mumbai-Jewish-Family-Killed.htm Mumbai-Based Rabbi and Wife Killed in Terrorist Attacks], [[Chabad]], Joshua Runyan and Motti Seligson
, 28 November 2008</ref> During his high school years, Holtzberg was known for his knowledge of the [[Talmud]]. He traveled to [[Jerusalem]] for an international Talmudic competition, where he came in second.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/29/nyregion/29chabad.html?em Jewish Center Is Stormed, and 6 Hostages Die], [[New York Times]], Ralph Blumenthal, 28 November 2008</ref>

He studied at [[yeshiva]]s in New York and [[Argentina]], and as a rabbinical student served communities in [[Thailand]] and China under the Summer Rabbinical Visitation Program run by [[Merkos L'Inyonei Chinuch]], the educational arm of [[Chabad-Lubavitch]].<ref name="CHA"/>

Holtzberg had long desired to become a Chabad emissary. He spent time as a student in the [[Chabad house]] in [[Bangkok]], and helped open a Chabad house in south Thailand.<ref name="NYT">[https://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/01/world/asia/01lubavitch.html Chabad Movement Vows to Continue Work of Couple Killed in Attack], [[New York Times]], Cara Buckley, 30 November 2008</ref>

His future [[rebbetzin]], '''Rivka Holtzberg''' née Rosenberg, was born in Israel to Rabbi Shimon and Yehudit Rosenberg, and was raised in [[Afula]]. She studied at a [[Bais Rivka]] seminary in [[Kfar Chabad]], Israel. Her uncle was Rabbi [[Yitzchak Dovid Grossman]], [[Chief Rabbi]] of [[Migdal Ha'Emek]], Israel.

The Holtzbergs married in 2002.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/29/nyregion/28chabad-2.html?pagewanted=print|title=Brooklyn Couple Killed in Attacks|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=29 November 2008|first1=Liz|last1=Robbins|first2=Jack|last2=Healy}}</ref> Their firstborn son, Menachem Mendel, was born a year later, afflicted with [[Tay–Sachs disease]]. He died of this disease at the age of 3.<ref name="Orphan"/> Their second son, DovBer, was born with the same ailment and was institutionalized in a pediatric long-term care facility in Israel under the care of his grandparents. He died at the age of 4 in December 2008, one month after his parents' murder.<ref>[http://www.vosizneias.com/24942/2008/12/30/jerusalem-israel-another-holtzberg-son-dies/ "4-Year-Old Son Of Kedoshim Holtzberg Dies of Illness". ''Vos Is Neias?'' 30 December 2008]</ref> Their third son, Moshe, was born healthy and lived with them in Mumbai. They lived together on the fifth floor of the Chabad House.<ref>[http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3631199,00.html Mumbai victims' son searches for mother], [[Yedioth Ahronoth]], Ronen Medzini, 1 December 2008</ref> It was revealed by her father during her funeral that Rivka was five months pregnant with her fourth child at the time she was slain.<ref>{{cite news|page=A16|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/03/world/middleeast/03funerals.html?em=&pagewanted=print|title=Orphaned Boy Is Focus at Hostages' Funeral|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|first=Isabel|last=Kershner|date=2 December 2008}}</ref>

==Work in Mumbai==

===Nariman House===
{{Chabad (Rebbes and Chasidim)|Rebbes of Chabad}}
After Gavriel and Rivka Holtzberg married, they moved to Mumbai to serve as Chabad emissaries and open the first Chabad House in Mumbai.<ref name="COL">{{cite journal|url=http://web.jrn.columbia.edu/studentwork/religion/2006/religions/judaism/index.htm |title=Israelis Invade India |journal=Namaste |first=Dikla |last=Kadosh |date=17 May 2006 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081201064415/http://web.jrn.columbia.edu/studentwork/religion/2006/religions/judaism/index.htm |archivedate=December 1, 2008 }}</ref> Under his leadership, the Chabad organisation acquired [[Nariman House]]. He ran the synagogue in addition to him and his wife being directors of the Mumbai Chabad headquarters. He installed a [[kosher]] kitchen and a [[mikvah]] at Nariman House, and taught the [[Torah]], offered drug prevention services and ran a [[hostel]] there.<ref>{{cite news|title=After Mumbai attacks, Israel debates protection for Chabad Houses|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|first=Ashraf|last=Khalil|date=1 December 2008}}</ref><ref>[http://www.tehelka.com/story_main40.asp?filename=Ne061208ro_rabbi.asp The House With Five Steps] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081201231401/http://www.tehelka.com/story_main40.asp?filename=Ne061208ro_rabbi.asp |date=2008-12-01 }}, [[Tehelka]], Rohini Mohan, 30 November 2008</ref> They led [[Shabbat]] meals every week at Nariman House with between 50 and 60 people and 30–40 people per night during the week,<ref name="MEM"/> where they hosted [[Jew]]s from all walks of life, including notable figures such as Sir [[Martin Gilbert]]<ref>[http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/773914/jewish/Sharing-Memories.htm Sharing Memories], [[Chabad]], accessed 5 December 2008]</ref> and Rabbi [[Joseph Telushkin]],<ref>[http://jta.org/news/article/2008/11/28/1001247/for-gabi-and-rivki-in-blessed-memory Remembering Gavriel and Rivkah Holtzberg] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081202053119/http://jta.org/news/article/2008/11/28/1001247/for-gabi-and-rivki-in-blessed-memory/ |date=2008-12-02 }}, [[Jewish Telegraphic Agency|JTA]], Benjamin Holtzman, 28 November 2008</ref> to humanitarian workers, business people and Israeli backpackers visiting India.

In an article published in 2006, Holtzberg said he understood the nature of the Israeli traveler's needs saying they "need relief" from the army, from work, from real life.<ref name="COL"/> He added that "they come here to do everything the [[Israel Defense Forces|army]] didn’t allow them to do. Their shoes had to be polished and tied – here they wear sandals. They had to cut their hair – here they grow their hair long."<ref name="COL"/>

===Local Jewish community===
There are between 4,500 and 5,000 [[Indian Jews]] in Mumbai. Holtzberg was a religious leader for that community, leading [[Friday night services]] at the [[Knesset Eliyahoo]] synagogue, also performing marriages for them, acting as the [[shechita|shochet]] (the kosher slaughtering of animals) and supplying the community with kosher meat, answering [[halakha|halakhic]] principles for them, such as what is to be done in the rites and customs of Judaism,<ref name="JTA">{{cite news|url=http://jta.org/news/article/2008/11/28/1001246/chabad-confirms-its-mumbai-emisaries-ar-edead|title=Grim news from Mumbai hits home|agency=[[Jewish Telegraphic Agency|JTA]]|first=Jacob|last=Berkman|date=28 November 2008|url-status=dead|access-date=2 December 2008|archive-date=18 March 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120318052859/http://www.jta.org/news/article/2008/11/28/1001246/chabad-confirms-its-mumbai-emisaries-ar-edead}}</ref><ref name="CHA"/><ref>[http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/11/28/india.jewish.center.attack/index.html Rabbi, wife 'spread Jewish pride' in Mumbai], [[CNN]], Paula Hancocks, accessed 4 December 2008</ref> as well as being a trained [[Mohel]] (performing the [[circumcision]] or "[[Brit milah|bris]]" of Jewish babies).<ref name="CHA"/> In addition to helping gather donations and do fund-raising for [[T'feret Israel]] and build an additional [[mikvah]] for the synagogue,<ref name="JTA"/> he and his wife also taught Jewish studies and the Torah to local Jews and tourists and provided their mikveh to be used by local Jews,<ref name="MEM">[http://www.chabad.org/news/article_cdo/aid/777590/jewish/No-Stranger-to-Hardship.htm Chabad Rivkah Holtzberg, Chabad House Director, Was No Stranger to Hardship], [[Chabad]], Sara Esther Crispe, 2 December 2008</ref> and made [[challah]] available to them.{{citation needed|date=November 2014}}

===Attack===
{{further|Nariman House#Terrorist attack}}
On 26 November 2008, Nariman House was attacked during the [[2008 Mumbai attacks]] and the Holtzbergs were taken hostage. [[Sandra Samuel]], a maid at the house and the nanny for their 2-year-old son, Moshe, managed to escape with the boy. As the siege began, Samuel locked the doors and hid in a room. She heard Rivka screaming "Sandra, Sandra, help, Sandra." The gunmen reportedly went door-to-door, searching for targets, so Samuel unlocked her door, but they did not find her. She then ran upstairs to find the Holtzbergs shot and lying on the ground with their son crying over them, so she picked him up and ran to the exit.<ref>[http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/12/02/moshe.mumbai/?imw=Y&iref=mpstoryemail Nanny credited with tot's daring rescue], [[CNN]], Drew Griffin and Paula Hancocks, 2 December 2008</ref>

Two days after the siege of the house began, Indian security forces seized the house and found the Holtzbergs and six others dead. It was concluded that the Holtzberg's wife had been killed many hours before,<ref name="Globe">[https://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20081129.BOMBISRAEL29/TPStory/International 'We will not show the pain we feel ... not now'], ''[[The Globe and Mail]]'', [[Patrick Martin (journalist)|Patrick Martin]], 29 November 2008</ref> and several of the bodies were covered in [[tallit]], including Rivka Holtzberg's, leading witnesses to speculate that the rabbi managed to cover the bodies before he was killed.<ref name="NYTF">[https://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/01/world/asia/01lubavitch.html?ref=asia Chabad Movement Vows to Continue Work of Couple Killed in Attack], [[New York Times]], Cara Buckley, 30 November 2008</ref>

====Response from Australia====
In December 2008, [[Australian Prime Minister]] [[Kevin Rudd]] stated that Holtzberg and his wife had “devoted their lives to acts of goodness and kindness and compassion for others ... but they lost their lives in a senseless act of hatred. In the face of this terror we must not bow to fear. We must respond by spreading our own message of tolerance and respect for people of other backgrounds and other beliefs.” Federal Opposition leader [[Malcolm Turnbull]] and U.S. Consul-General [[Judith Fergin]] also spoke at the memorial service. A representative from the Indian Consulate was also present.<ref name=Australia>[http://jta.org/news/article/2008/12/09/1001422/australias-prime-minister-paid-tribute-to-holtzbergs Australia’s prime minister honors Holtzbergs] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110807053820/http://www.jta.org/news/article/2008/12/09/1001422/australias-prime-minister-paid-tribute-to-holtzbergs |date=2011-08-07 }}, [[Jewish Telegraphic Agency]] (JTA), 9 December 2008.</ref>

==Funeral==
Thousands of people attended the funeral of Holtzberg and his wife, with eulogies delivered in the town of [[Kfar Chabad]] followed by a procession to [[Jerusalem|Jerusalem's]] ancient [[Mount of Olives]] cemetery, where the couple was buried.<ref>[http://fr.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1227702398037&pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull 'We will fight terrorists with torches']{{Dead link|date=December 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, [[Associated Press]] and [[The Jerusalem Post]], 2 December 2008</ref> Among those who attended were the two [[Chief Rabbinate of Israel|Chief Rabbi]]s of Israel, [[President of Israel|President]] [[Shimon Peres]], former [[Prime Minister of Israel|Prime Minister]] and [[Defense Minister of Israel|Defense Minister]] [[Ehud Barak]], former [[Prime Minister of Israel|Prime Minister]] and [[Likud]] leader [[Binyamin Netanyahu]], several [[Shas]] ministers and MKs, [[Israeli government ministers|government ministers]], [[MKs|Knesset members]], [[Chabad emissaries]] from around the world, the American and Indian ambassadors to Israel, and Rabbi [[Abraham Shemtov]], head of [[Agudas Hassidei Chabad International]], the movement's umbrella organization.<ref>[http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3632076,00.html Masses gather for Chabad emissaries' funeral], [[Yedioth Ahronoth]], Yael Levy, 2 December 2008</ref><ref name="JJP">[http://fr.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1227702405874&pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull Vengeance through kindness]{{Dead link|date=December 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, [[The Jerusalem Post]], Matthew Wagner, 3 December 2008</ref>

Rabbi [[Moshe Kotlarsky]] vice chairman of Chabad's educational arm, ''[[Merkos L'Inyonei Chinuch]]'', from New York, eulogized the couple at the funeral, saying "I vow that we will avenge the deaths of Gabi and Rivki. But not with AK-47s, not with grenades and tanks. We will take revenge in a different way. We will add light. We will add good deeds. We will make sure that there is not one Jewish man who does not put on tefillin. We will make sure that there is not one Jewish woman who does not light candles," speaking of [[Mitzvah Campaigns|one of the aims]] of the [[Chabad movement]].<ref name="JJP"/> Kotlarsky also said that the Chabad House would be rebuilt, and that it would be named after the Holtzbergs.<ref name="JJP"/> Kotlarsky also aimed his message at the couple's surviving son, Moshe, saying "You don't have a mother who will hug you. You are the child of all of Israel."<ref>[http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article5276325.ece You are a child of Israel, orphaned two-year-old Moshe Holtzberg is told], [[The Times]], Sheera Frenkel, 3 December 2008</ref> In Toronto, [[Ontario]], Canada, a memorial service was held for Gavriel and his wife at a Chabad synagogue, where almost 1,500 people attended.<ref>[http://www.cjnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=15820&Itemid=86 Canadian Jews mourn Mumbai victims], [[Canadian Jewish News]], Frances Kraft, 4 December 2008</ref>

==Child==
{{main|Sandra Samuel}}
The Holtzbergs' son Moshe, who survived the attack, and his Indian nanny [[Sandra Samuel]], subsequently moved to Israel where Moshe's grandparents live. The Israeli Government under [[Foreign Affairs Minister of Israel|Foreign Minister]] [[Tzipi Livni]] awarded Samuel a special visa offering immigration status. Samuel has stated she will continue to care for Moshe for as long as necessary.<ref>[http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/12/04/nanny.mumbai.interview/index.html In her own words, nanny's brave escape in Mumbai], [[CNN]], 4 December 2008.</ref> Israel is considering honouring her as a [[Righteous Gentile]], the highest Israeli award that may be presented to non-Jews, allowing her to remain in Israel for an extended period of time.

A video of Moshe crying at the funeral service for his parents and crying "Imma, Imma," which means "Mommy, Mommy" in Hebrew was widely published.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2008/12/01/nytfrontpage/20081201POD_index.html?8dpc Pictures of the Day, 1 December], [[New York Times]], 1 December 2008</ref><ref>[http://www.suntimes.com/news/world/1307814,mumbai-shootings-orphan120108.article Orphan cries for mommy at her Mumbai funeral], [[Associated Press]], 1 December 2008</ref>

In 2018, a decade after the massacre, the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, visited Moshe in Israel and invited the boy to return to India any time. That same year, the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, accompanied Moshe on a visit to Mumbai.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Oster|first=Marcy|title=Decade after Mumbai massacre, murdered Chabad couple's son flourishes in Israel|url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/decade-after-mumbai-massacre-murdered-chabad-couples-son-flourishes-in-israel/|access-date=2020-07-14|website=www.timesofisrael.com|language=en-US}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Sarah Avraham]], who with her family was close friends with the Holtzbergs, and who in the wake of the attack and the killings [[converted to Judaism]], and immigrated to Israel.

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
*http://www.migdalohrusa.org
*[http://www.crownheights.info/index.php?itemid=14423&catid=38 Video released by Chabad]
*[http://www.chabad.org/special/campaigns/chabadindia/default.htm Memorial site by Chabad]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20081229044152/http://www.mosheholtzbergfund.org/ Foundation website for Moshe]

{{2008 Mumbai attacks}}
{{Chabad footer}}
{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Holtzberg, Gavriel}}
[[Category:1979 births]]
[[Category:2008 deaths]]
[[Category:American people murdered abroad]]
[[Category:American terrorism victims]]
[[Category:Chabad-Lubavitch rabbis]]
[[Category:American expatriates in India]]
[[Category:American Hasidic rabbis]]
[[Category:American Orthodox Jews]]
[[Category:Assassinated rabbis]]
[[Category:Indian Orthodox rabbis]]
[[Category:Israeli emigrants to the United States]]
[[Category:Israeli expatriates in India]]
[[Category:Israeli Hasidic rabbis]]
[[Category:Israeli people murdered abroad]]
[[Category:Israeli terrorism victims]]
[[Category:Murdered American Jews]]
[[Category:Naturalized citizens of the United States]]
[[Category:People from Crown Heights, Brooklyn]]
[[Category:People from Kiryat Malakhi]]
[[Category:People murdered in India]]
[[Category:Victims of the 2008 Mumbai attacks]]
[[Category:Burials at the Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives]]

Gavriel Holtzberg - Revision history

Bot at 14:36, 22 November 2022