Rabbi Gavriel Noach Holzberg is reportedly being held as a hostage at the terror-hit Mumbai’s Jewish center, the base for the American Jewish outreach group Chabad Lubavitch. The centre for prayer and study attracts many Jewish and Israeli visitors every year. (Photo above of the Mumbai Jewish Center)
According to the BBC, reports say his wife and son have been freed. “The Reuters news agency says that four gunmen remain in the building. There have been reports of gunfire.” More here…
An earlier report said that five Jewish families were taken hostage by terrorists in Mumbai (See here)
The Times of India reports: “Anxiously waiting to hear about the well-being of their dear ones taken hostage by terrorists at Chabad house in Mumbai, the Rosenbergs in Israel are ensconced in prayer at their house in the northern town of Afula.
“Rivka, 28, and her husband, Gabriel Holtzberg, 30, a Chabad emissary in Mumbai, are among a number of Israelis being held hostage by armed terrorists who have stormed into the Nariman House, a building owned by the religious Jews’ ‘Chabad’ movement, the Israeli radio reported.
“The family has received reports indicating that the terrorists have released their two-year-old son Moshe Tzvi and his caretaker, Rivka’s father Rabbi Shimon Rosenberg told the Radio.” More here…
Jews have an ancient connection with India. “Some sources say that the earliest Jews were those who settled in the Malabar coast (in Kerala, South India) during the times of King Solomon of Israel, and after the Kingdom of Israel split into two… Jews came to Kerala and settled as early as 700 BC for trade… Spanish and Portuguese Jews (Sephardim) settled in Goa in the 15th century.” More here…
[EDITOR’S NOTE: TMV International Columnist Swaraaj Chauhan is a veteran New Delhi journalist who lives in India.]
Swaraaj Chauhan describes his two-decade-long stint as a full-time journalist as eventful, purposeful, and full of joy and excitement. In 1993 he could foresee a different work culture appearing on the horizon, and decided to devote full time to teaching journalism (also, partly, with a desire to give back to the community from where he had enriched himself so much.)
Alongside, he worked for about a year in 1993 for the US State Department’s SPAN magazine, a nearly five-decade-old art and culture monthly magazine promoting US-India relations. It gave him an excellent opportunity to learn about things American, plus the pleasure of playing tennis in the lavish American embassy compound in the heart of New Delhi.
In !995 he joined WWF-India as a full-time media and environment education consultant and worked there for five years travelling a great deal, including to Husum in Germany as a part of the international team to formulate WWF’s Eco-tourism policy.
He taught journalism to honors students in a college affiliated to the University of Delhi, as also at the prestigious Indian Institute of Mass Communication where he lectured on “Development Journalism” to mid-career journalists/Information officers from the SAARC, African, East European and Latin American countries, for eight years.
In 2004 the BBC World Service Trust (BBC WST) selected him as a Trainer/Mentor for India under a European Union project. In 2008/09 He completed another European Union-funded project for the BBC WST related to Disaster Management and media coverage in two eastern States in India — West Bengal and Orissa.
Last year, he spent a couple of months in Australia and enjoyed trekking, and also taught for a while at the University of South Australia.
Recently, he was appointed as a Member of the Board of Studies at Chitkara University in Chandigarh, a beautiful city in North India designed by the famous Swiss/French architect Le Corbusier. He also teaches undergraduate and postgraduate students there.
He loves trekking, especially in the hills, and never misses an opportunity to play a game of tennis. The Western and Indian classical music are always within his reach for instant relaxation.
And last, but not least, is his firm belief in the power of the positive thought to heal oneself and others.