A few days have passed since the tragic end of the Siege of Mumbai Chabad House. For most, it will likely soon be relegated to "old" news, forgotten as one of the many similar stories of terror that we are now "used" to. Not for me. And, I hope, not for you either.
Together with people of good will everywhere, we mourn the deaths of the almost 200 innocents, including two Australians, brutally murdered in Mumbai. Yet the attack on Chabad House was no "ordinary" act of terror. As stated by Israeli Foreign Minister Tsipi Livni, it was a calculated Islamic terror attack against a predetermined Jewish target. As such it represents a new front in the Global Islamic War of Terror that some continue to deny even exists. It has ramifications for Jews everywhere.
I believe that we need to respond in three ways:
1) Displaying heightened vigilance in matters of physical security.
2) Gaining a better understanding of the nature of the threat.
3) Becoming more committed Jews.
1) Heightened vigilance in matters of physical security.
Locally we must support and expand the work of the CSG as well as demand Government assistance in protecting our communal infrastructure. There is however no place, G-d forbid, for fear. Fear is precisely what the Islamic terrorists want and giving into it would grant them an undeserved victory. We must continue to attend shule, school and Jewish social and cultural activities.
2) Understanding the nature of the threat.
After Shabbos, I searched in vain for any sign of protest from the Australian Muslim community. The fact that they are not protesting loudly against this shame perpetrated in the name of their religion, which included at least two Australian deaths, indicates complicity on their part. Islam and the entire Muslim world must be held accountable until they actively uproot this cancer from their midst. The onus should be on them if they wish to be accepted as a civilized people and religion.
Mumbai plain and simply was an attack on the West - which unfortunately is yet to "get" it.
There should be no pussyfooting around the notion that this was an attack on Western and Israeli interests in response to "persecution" of the Palestinians or countless other Muslim "grievances". Anyone who reads Islamic theology comes very quickly to the conclusion that its aim is world domination by the Umah through whatever means are available. They merely exploit local grievances - whether in the Philippines, Bali, Thailand, India or "Palestine". It is patently ridiculous to think that giving Land for Peace (in Israel, Asia or Europe) will satiate the appetite of those who see the Umah and its Caliphate extending throughout Europe and Asia.
Those in the West who continue to insist that the source of the world's trouble lies with the Palestinian issue do so at their own peril. We are already seeing where this is headed. In England Muslims were "offended" by the teaching of the Holocaust - and the authorities gave in and removed it from the syllabus. In Durbin, at the UN Conference Against Racism - most of the world remained ominously silent as the most radically anti-Semitic resolutions since the Holocaust were propagated. History teaches us that while attacks may begin against the Jews, it is never long before the rest of humanity suffers. They should of course not be attending the upcoming Durbin II Conference Against Racism (sic), but should they unwisely choose to do so, we must at the very least demand of PM Rudd and President-elect Obama that they protest vociferously at any attempt to once again condemn Israel and Jews.
The root cause of terror lies not in local issues but in an ideology bent on world domination. Israel and the West wrongly believe that they can placate the beast with gestures, including the release of terrorists and murderers. Daniel Pearl's head was cut off by a terrorist who India released as a "gesture".
It is about time that the West demanded the only gesture that really matters. The reinterpretation of the Koran and Islam as a peaceful religion that disavows force, murder and "martyrdom" as a method of spreading its word or dealing with its "grievances". As long as children are educated to hate the infidels, this war will continue. There is simply no place for debate or discussion with a religion that does not meet this one simply precondition.
c) Recommit to becoming more Jewish
We should follow the example of our holy brothers and sisters who died "al kiddish hashem" in the Chabad House in Mumbai. When Zaka entered the building immediately after it was safe to do so they came upon the bodies of the Kedoshim which were riddled with bullets in a room splattered with blood. Rabbi Holzberg and the two other rabbis lay on the floor with holy books in their hands - they were praying and studying Torah until the moment of their deaths. Nearby was the body of Rivka, the Rebbetzin of the Chabad House. It was covered with a Tallis. Somehow, before being murdered themselves, they had managed to cover her. Such holiness and purity in the midst of bestial carnage. Just as these Kedoshim dedicated their lives, and ultimately gave them, for the love of Jews and Torah, so too must we, each in our way. Choose a Mitzvah and do it. Or commit to a programme of Jewish study - join our JLI Adult Education programme or the new advanced JLI Talmud programme that will commence in February and which I am dedicating to the Holzbergs. In whatever way it is - become more Jewish.
When Fedayeen attacked Kfar Chabad in 1956 killing five students, the Rebbe responded with three Hebrew words, behemshech habinyan tinachemu - "through continuing the work of building (Judaism) you will be comforted."
May we merit the ultimate comfort - the coming of Moshiach - immediately.
With blessings of peace
Rabbi Benzion Milecki
P.S. Please read the following article by Uri Orbach, a prominent religious Zionist spokesperson and journalist. His article appeared in Sunday's Yediot Acharonot.
10 comments:
An excellent Blog and article. I have forwarded it on those i know would not generally receive it. I think it should be sent to all local MPs in NSW if possible.
Totally agree with everything that has been outlined.
Benji grew up in Habonim along with my kids. He has just returned to Sydney after several years of traveling, including a six month stay in Mumbai where he undertook a charitable project. During this time the Chabad rabbi and his wife became an important part of his world. Benji’s words give us a poignant picture of these two dedicated young people.
Please read Benji’s personal recollections of Rabbi Gabi and Rivki Holtzberg and then forward this on to honour and preserve their memory.
Gary (Etzi)
For Gabi and Rivki: In Blessed Memory (Z”L)
Just minutes ago I heard the terrible news that 5 Israeli hostages were found dead inside the Chabad centre at Nariman house in Mumbai. Although the media hasn’t officially confirmed their identities yet, it seems quite certain that they are Chabad Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg, his wife Rivka, an Israeli couple, and another Israeli.
After having been glued to the news for two days straight, relentlessly combing through twitter updates, news reports, and blogs, I am totally exhausted, yet feel compelled to write something about these great people I knew.
I lived in Mumbai for 6 months last year, and would go to the Beit Chabad with friends for a Shabbat meal about every second week. Over the course of 6 months, we got to know the Rabbi and his wife quite well.
They were wonderful people; warm, inviting and engaging. Gabi would get visibly excited to have so many guests for Shabbat, you could tell it really made his week. He would have a grin on his face almost the entire meal, including during his Dvar Torah. He was always so eager to create a communal feeling that he insisted everyone go around the table and say a few words to the group, giving guests 4 options: either delivering a Dvar Torah, relating an inspirational story, declaring to take on a mitzvah, or leading a song.
As most of the guests were Israeli backpackers and other passers-through, they might have found this quite novel. For us regulars, it was just Gabi’s shtick. I can still hear him reciting those 4 options to the group now, as if he had discovered some miraculous way to make everyone involved in the Shabbat with no escape, impressed by his own genius week in and out. He had a devilish smile, you could really see the child still in him, just beneath the surface.
Gabi was also exceptionally thoughtful. Though most of the guests were Israeli, Gabi would give his Dvar Torah in English for the sake of the few of us English-speakers there with sketchy Hebrew, so we’d understand. Sometimes he spoke line by line first in English, then Hebrew. Gabi would start discussions and made it his personal mission to get everyone talking, to make a group of disconnected Jews feel like a family. It worked. That was Gabi.
Rivki was a certified sweetheart. She’d generally sit apart from Gabi, to spread herself out, and usually sat with the girls. She too relished Friday night dinners—I think she needed her weekly female bonding time. She’d talk to the girls about the challenges of keeping kosher in India, and share exciting new finds at the market together. You could tell she was far from home, in this dense Mumbai jungle, but she was tough and really made the best of it. She would balance Gabi’s presence, occasionally making comments to people at her table while Gabi was speaking. Not as a sign of disrespect, but to keep the people around her having a good time, perhaps in the same way a youth group counsellor would, when the kids were bored by another counsellor. That was Rivki. Brave, fun-loving, and super sweet.
Perhaps the greatest testament to their character was simply the fact that they lived in downtown Mumbai for years on end. Having lived there for just 6 months, I understand how incredibly taxing just existing in the city is. Even when trying to relax, the city still seems to suck the life out of you. Living as Westerners in modest conditions in the thick of Mumbai, with the restrictions of kashrut and Shabbat, is certainly no small feat.
I’m not sure if they were thrilled with their placement in Mumbai, but they certainly made a good go of it. They were only a few years older than me, in their late 20s, and despite being far from friends and family and perhaps not in the most exciting Chabad placement (compared to Bangkok or Bondi), they kept positive and built a beautiful bastion of Jewey goodness. They chose a life that demonstrated such altruism and care, in the truest sense. The Mumbai Chabad really made a difference to my time in India, and made me feel that much more at home in such a foreign country.
It was at Gabi and Rivki’s where I met Joseph Telushkin, the famous Jewish author. It was at Gabi and Rivki’s where I randomly bumped into friends of friends from back home. It was to Gabi and Rivki’s where we brought our non-Jewish Indian friends who became curious in Judaism. It was at Gabi and Rivki’s where a girl I would later fall for first developed feelings for me, when I brought her some water while she lay sick on the sofa from Indian food poisoning. She was being nursed by Rivki.
Gabi and Rivki were real for me. We often hear about tragedies in distant, disconnected places, and feel frustratingly estranged from them. We want to connect, but cant; we feel as though in a different world. And mere numbers, names and images don’t amass to much. I hope I’ve been able to paint a small picture of two of the victims of the Mumbai terror attacks, which claimed over 150 lives in total and left hundreds injured.
I know they would have been brave through the whole ordeal. Though unconfirmed, it is likely they would have been murdered right as Shabbat was coming in. I feel that this would have provided them with comfort, knowing that they departed this world in a time of peace. I also know the knowledge that their 2-year old son Moishe managed to escape in the arms of his nanny would have provided them with great comfort in their final hours. When I would look at the young Moishe I would see Gabi’s face, and Rivki’s care-free spirit.
Chabad lost two soldiers today, emissaries and keepers of the Jewish people. Let us honour their work and their lives in our prayers, in our thoughts, and in our deeds, and let us pray for the families of the dozens of other victims of these attacks. May all souls rest in peace, and may we see an end to violence in our time.
Benjamin Holzman
A great article. I felt reference to the absence of any condemnation by the Islamic community was particuarly poignant.
Hi Rabbi
Sad times we live in....also challenging. There is a good article in the Boston Globe this weekend by Jeff Jacoby. Please Google Boston Globe Jeff Jacoby and pass it on
Anonymous please
Your letter was very reflective at such a tragic time.
I had also come to the conclusion after assessing the available information on the weekend that Muslim people the world over
need to take responsibility for the actions of those amongst them who dominate through whatever means, and that furthermore the West
needs to come to grips with the grim reality that the Koran and Islam do not want to promote peace as a mechanism for
finding solutions to Islamic grievances.
At a personal level I believe that to a large extent Jewish learning and education more broadly speaking are important ways to
provide us as a people with the knowledge base to be advocats for change in the Western world. I have through my own
attendance at the shule to hear speakers on Friday night or Shabbos morning or during the week( recently a current update on the Iran situtation) or through various Jewish events in the community, found that such knowledge in my business experience serves to enhance our ability individually to counteract anti semitism and drive strategic change.
I will follow up with the Jewish learning program for next year
Hi Rabbi,
1 - Once again - I think you have chosen your words extremely well and your stance is so logically structured that it would be difficult for anyone to argue against your comments. I personally agree with all you have said - I have forwarded your comments to a few people who too have expressed strong support. Sharing your thoughts at times like this are always appreciated.
2 - I am not sure if you have seen this article yet - http://news.smh.com.au/world/ultraorthodox-websites-thrive-after-mumbai-tragedy-20081202-6p7r.html . When trying to see what good could possibly come from such sacrifice, I can't help but feel that through embracing technology (as the Rebbe encouraged for the general good), this tragedy will have done so much to spread the Orthodox community message further and faster and in such a positive light, ie, every article about the Rabbi, Rebetzen and the Orthodox community has been positive in terms of their aims and objectives. If I am not mistaken, the spreading of this message is the primary reason that the Rabbi and Rebetzen traveled to India in the first place. It would therefore seem that in their tragic passing, they have achieved so much (if not more) of what they originally set out to do. I find that somewhat comforting.
Once again Rabbi Milecki steps up to the plate and delivers what we need. Some sense from the unfathomable and most of all Hope. The practical ways in which we can all do something are the most important of all - Rabbi's particular expertise - giving us a way out of our grief.
Please G-d our Rov will never have to write such an article again.
Hi,
I have a question for the webmaster/admin here at rabbimileckiblog.blogspot.com.
Can I use part of the information from your post right above if I provide a link back to your website?
Thanks,
Charlie
Charlie,
Yes you can. But please send me a link to the website where you will be publishing it.
Thanks
Benzion Milecki
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