FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP — Chabad Lubavitch of Western Monmouth County will remember a Brooklyn rabbi and his wife, as well as others slain in the terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India, at memorial services 7:45 tonight at The Radisson Hotel, 50 Gibson Place.
The local Chabad House and the Jewish Federation of Greater Monmouth County organized the "Memorial and Solidarity Gathering" to honor victims of the attacks, particularly Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg and his wife, Rivkah, of New York, organizers said.
The 29-year-old rabbi and his 28-year-old wife were killed "while devotedly serving the Mumbai Jewish community" at the Chabad center there for about six years, said Rabbi Boruch Chazanow, director of the Manalapan-based Chabad organization. The couple, natives of Israel, previously lived in Brooklyn.
The Holtzbergs' son Moshe, rescued from the attack by a family employee, is now in the care of a grandmother, according to published reports.
"We are shocked by the brutal attacks in Mumbai that deliberately targeted innocent men, women and children," Chazanow said. "Our task now is to offer comfort and support to the survivors and to take action in memory of the victims."
A Lakewood man, Moshe Shvarzblat, 48, lost his sister, Norma Shvarzblat Rabinovich, a Mexican citizen, in the attack as well. Lakewood Committeeman Meir Lichtenstein had said that Rabinovich was volunteering in the Chabad House, a Jewish community center, in Mumbai while waiting to receive Israeli citizenship.
Speakers at the event will include Rabbi Chaim Zaklos, a family friend who served as a part-time assistant to Rabbi Holtzberg in Mumbai. The service is among many memorials being held through the Orthodox Chabad organization nationwide.
"The Holtzbergs left behind the comforts of a familiar environment, devoting their lives to bringing their warmth and kindness to the far eastern corners of the world," Chazanow said. "It is imperative upon each of us to continue their sacred calling and renew our own commitment to embrace that spirit of giving."
For more information, call (732) 972-3687.
Alesha Williams Boyd: (732) 308-7756; AWilliams@app.com.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
