Prime Minister Stephen Harper gave a speech to the Canadian Federation of Chabad Lubavitch to honour the memory of the Lubavitchers killed in the Mumbai Chabad House terrorist attack.
Jason Kenney, Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism, also spoke passionately about the horrific attack.
Showing posts with label attack. Show all posts
Showing posts with label attack. Show all posts
Friday, March 20, 2009
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Police seek leads in hate crimes
By LORRAINE SWANSON
Editor
$20,000 reward offered for arrests in vandalism of synagogues and schools
At a Martin Luther King Day press conference, the Anti-Defamation League of Chicago and the Jewish Federation announced a $20,000 reward for information leading to arrests in hate crimes in West Ridge and Lake View. Standing with representatives from the Chicago police and the Commission on Human Relations at the commission's office at 740 N. Sedgewick, local Jewish leaders offered the reward for leads in the throwing of a Molotov cocktail at Temple Sholom in Lake View last month and spray-painting and brick throwing this month at two synagogues and two high schools in West Ridge.
On Dec. 29, a witness reported seeing someone throwing a Molotov cocktail from a car and shouting an ethnic slur at a passerby at Temple Sholom at 3840 N. Lake Shore Dr. around 2 a.m., according to a Chicago Police Department spokesman.
Shortly after midnight on Jan. 10, 24th District police discovered the words "Death to Israel" spray-painted on a sign in front of Hanna Sachs Bais Yaakov High School, an Orthodox girls' school at 3201 W. Devon.
Three more acts of vandalism and anti-Israel graffiti were also reported that same morning at Anshe Motele Congregation at 6520 N. California, Lubavitch Boys High School at 2756 W. Morse, and the Congregation of Young Israel of West Rogers Park, at 2706 W. Touhy.
Orange spray paint was used in each incident where anti-Israel graffiti was reported. All instances are being investigated as hate crimes by the Chicago Police Department's Area 3 detective division's hate crime unit at Belmont and Western.
At Lubavitch and Young Israel, bricks were thrown through the glass doors and windows. The incidents all occurred in West Ridge, where many of the neighborhood's Orthodox Jews reside.
The Lincolnwood Jewish Congregation in suburban Lincolnwood just outside the Chicago city limits also reported its glass windows and doors shattered by two men in ski masks early Saturday morning.
Jenna Benn, assistant director of the Anti-Defamation League of Chicago, said the five incidents may be related to increased tensions in Gaza between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. She reported a similar trend in assaults against Jews and sacred places of worship in 2006 during Israel's war with Lebanon.
"Assaults against Jews and communities locally and worldwide are on the rise," Benn said. "In Europe, Jews have been threatened and beaten on the streets and synagogues have been fire-bombed."
Benn denounced the hate crimes, adding that "the intention of the reward fund is to provide law enforcement with the necessary leads to bring the perpetrators to justice in the five incidents that appear to be linked."
Area 3 Deputy Chief of Patrol Bruce Rottner said Chicago police are working with the FBI to investigate and monitor the incidents that occurred in the 24th Police District that covers Rogers Park and part of Edgewater.
"We're re-canvassing all these areas in Rogers Park where these crimes occurred," Rottner said. "We know there is someone out there who saw something or heard something who hasn't come forward yet."
Police still haven't determined if the Temple Sholom incident is related to the defacement of synagogues and schools in West Ridge.
"All are being investigated together by the detective division and our hate crime unit," Rottner added. "We're leaving no stone unturned."
Rottner would not comment on surveillance video that was said to capture one of the West Ridge incidents or the number of individuals that police are seeking to question about the crimes. According to 24th district police reports, a security camera at Lubavitch High School revealed three males - two wearing ski masks and a third acting as a lookout - throwing an object at the school's door.
"There was surveillance video. I'm not going to comment any further," the deputy chief said. "We're looking for several people. [The video] captures part of the incident taking place."
Benn said that the Anti-Defamation League's special investigator who monitors anti-Semitic incidents locally and internationally has been in constant touch with Area 3's hate crime unit. Until Monday, she was unaware that more than one person may be involved in defacing the West Ridge synagogues and schools.
Since the Jan. 10 vandalism, Jewish synagogues, schools and other institutions in Rogers Park have been placed on a special watch.
Meanwhile, Chicago police and the FBI will continue to work with the public to generate intelligence and alleviate fears and tension in both neighborhoods.
"We have strategies in place that I obviously can't share," he said. "Interestingly enough in two of [the West Ridge] incidents, two were discovered by police. We were proactive."
Editor
$20,000 reward offered for arrests in vandalism of synagogues and schools
At a Martin Luther King Day press conference, the Anti-Defamation League of Chicago and the Jewish Federation announced a $20,000 reward for information leading to arrests in hate crimes in West Ridge and Lake View. Standing with representatives from the Chicago police and the Commission on Human Relations at the commission's office at 740 N. Sedgewick, local Jewish leaders offered the reward for leads in the throwing of a Molotov cocktail at Temple Sholom in Lake View last month and spray-painting and brick throwing this month at two synagogues and two high schools in West Ridge.
On Dec. 29, a witness reported seeing someone throwing a Molotov cocktail from a car and shouting an ethnic slur at a passerby at Temple Sholom at 3840 N. Lake Shore Dr. around 2 a.m., according to a Chicago Police Department spokesman.
Shortly after midnight on Jan. 10, 24th District police discovered the words "Death to Israel" spray-painted on a sign in front of Hanna Sachs Bais Yaakov High School, an Orthodox girls' school at 3201 W. Devon.
Three more acts of vandalism and anti-Israel graffiti were also reported that same morning at Anshe Motele Congregation at 6520 N. California, Lubavitch Boys High School at 2756 W. Morse, and the Congregation of Young Israel of West Rogers Park, at 2706 W. Touhy.
Orange spray paint was used in each incident where anti-Israel graffiti was reported. All instances are being investigated as hate crimes by the Chicago Police Department's Area 3 detective division's hate crime unit at Belmont and Western.
At Lubavitch and Young Israel, bricks were thrown through the glass doors and windows. The incidents all occurred in West Ridge, where many of the neighborhood's Orthodox Jews reside.
The Lincolnwood Jewish Congregation in suburban Lincolnwood just outside the Chicago city limits also reported its glass windows and doors shattered by two men in ski masks early Saturday morning.
Jenna Benn, assistant director of the Anti-Defamation League of Chicago, said the five incidents may be related to increased tensions in Gaza between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. She reported a similar trend in assaults against Jews and sacred places of worship in 2006 during Israel's war with Lebanon.
"Assaults against Jews and communities locally and worldwide are on the rise," Benn said. "In Europe, Jews have been threatened and beaten on the streets and synagogues have been fire-bombed."
Benn denounced the hate crimes, adding that "the intention of the reward fund is to provide law enforcement with the necessary leads to bring the perpetrators to justice in the five incidents that appear to be linked."
Area 3 Deputy Chief of Patrol Bruce Rottner said Chicago police are working with the FBI to investigate and monitor the incidents that occurred in the 24th Police District that covers Rogers Park and part of Edgewater.
"We're re-canvassing all these areas in Rogers Park where these crimes occurred," Rottner said. "We know there is someone out there who saw something or heard something who hasn't come forward yet."
Police still haven't determined if the Temple Sholom incident is related to the defacement of synagogues and schools in West Ridge.
"All are being investigated together by the detective division and our hate crime unit," Rottner added. "We're leaving no stone unturned."
Rottner would not comment on surveillance video that was said to capture one of the West Ridge incidents or the number of individuals that police are seeking to question about the crimes. According to 24th district police reports, a security camera at Lubavitch High School revealed three males - two wearing ski masks and a third acting as a lookout - throwing an object at the school's door.
"There was surveillance video. I'm not going to comment any further," the deputy chief said. "We're looking for several people. [The video] captures part of the incident taking place."
Benn said that the Anti-Defamation League's special investigator who monitors anti-Semitic incidents locally and internationally has been in constant touch with Area 3's hate crime unit. Until Monday, she was unaware that more than one person may be involved in defacing the West Ridge synagogues and schools.
Since the Jan. 10 vandalism, Jewish synagogues, schools and other institutions in Rogers Park have been placed on a special watch.
Meanwhile, Chicago police and the FBI will continue to work with the public to generate intelligence and alleviate fears and tension in both neighborhoods.
"We have strategies in place that I obviously can't share," he said. "Interestingly enough in two of [the West Ridge] incidents, two were discovered by police. We were proactive."
Arson damages Paris kosher warehouse
January 25, 2009
PARIS (JTA)
A major kosher food warehouse in Paris was badly damaged in an arson attack.
Molotov cocktails were found after Friday night's attack near the warehouse, which provides kosher meat and other products for much of the Paris region.
A video camera showed one person firebombing a car parked in front of the shop in the eastern Paris suburb of Montreuil Sous Bois. Police said the flames from the vehicle could have spread to the warehouse.
While police say it is too early to conclude a motive for the attack, the National Bureau of Vigilance Against Anti-Semitism said in a statement Sunday that it has "no doubt" the attack was anti-Semitic. The group noted that the store was clearly marked with religious symbols on its exterior.
A sharp rise in anti-Jewish crime has plagued France since the start of Israel's operation in Gaza. French government officials and Jewish institutions believe recent massive, flag-burning anti-Israel protests have incited some to attack Jewish individuals and institutions. During several marches, police have stopped some protesters who tried heading toward the nearest synagogue.
Despite the Israel-Hamas cease-fire, French pro-Palestinian organizations are still calling for sanctions against Israel and marching to demand Israel be tried for war crimes. Nearly 10,000 people, including leaders of the far-left Communist and Green political parties, participated Saturday in such a march in Paris, according to police and the French press agency AFP. The march did not end in riots, as has happened in recent weeks.
In another incident, the the National Bureau of Vigilance Against Anti-Semitism reported that a father and son were spit on and threatened Saturday as they left a synagogue that was firebombed Jan. 11 in the northern Paris suburb Saint-Denis.
According to the bureau, the Chabad-Lubavitch father and son were called "dirty Jews," were told they would be killed and had beer bottles thrown at them by four men of North and sub-Sahara African origin.
PARIS (JTA)
A major kosher food warehouse in Paris was badly damaged in an arson attack.
Molotov cocktails were found after Friday night's attack near the warehouse, which provides kosher meat and other products for much of the Paris region.
A video camera showed one person firebombing a car parked in front of the shop in the eastern Paris suburb of Montreuil Sous Bois. Police said the flames from the vehicle could have spread to the warehouse.
While police say it is too early to conclude a motive for the attack, the National Bureau of Vigilance Against Anti-Semitism said in a statement Sunday that it has "no doubt" the attack was anti-Semitic. The group noted that the store was clearly marked with religious symbols on its exterior.
A sharp rise in anti-Jewish crime has plagued France since the start of Israel's operation in Gaza. French government officials and Jewish institutions believe recent massive, flag-burning anti-Israel protests have incited some to attack Jewish individuals and institutions. During several marches, police have stopped some protesters who tried heading toward the nearest synagogue.
Despite the Israel-Hamas cease-fire, French pro-Palestinian organizations are still calling for sanctions against Israel and marching to demand Israel be tried for war crimes. Nearly 10,000 people, including leaders of the far-left Communist and Green political parties, participated Saturday in such a march in Paris, according to police and the French press agency AFP. The march did not end in riots, as has happened in recent weeks.
In another incident, the the National Bureau of Vigilance Against Anti-Semitism reported that a father and son were spit on and threatened Saturday as they left a synagogue that was firebombed Jan. 11 in the northern Paris suburb Saint-Denis.
According to the bureau, the Chabad-Lubavitch father and son were called "dirty Jews," were told they would be killed and had beer bottles thrown at them by four men of North and sub-Sahara African origin.
Monday, December 29, 2008
Terrorists' demands were rejected: Digvijay
BHOPAL/MUMBAI: In what seems a political ploy aimed at arguing that unlike NDA, Congress did not succumb to a hostage situation, former CM Digvijay Singh has claimed - contrary to the government's position - that the Centre did not accept demands of terrorists who attacked Mumbai.
The Congress general secretary on Monday reiterated that government had not bowed to demands made by the Lashkar squad, a claim that security sources have dismissed. There were inquiries from Israelis over the claims but these were more to do with the possibility of securing the release of those trapped inside Chabad House.
Throughout the siege of Trident and Taj hotels, apart from Chabad House itself, security forces did not hold any negotiations with the terrorists. In fact, after the terrorists were shot, it was argued that an attempt could have been made to engage them - not to concede any demands but to buy time and possibly negotiate safe release of those trapped in the attack.
Yet, while the Congress spokesperson sought to wriggle out of the situation by claiming that Digvijay Singh had "clarified" the situation, this is not the first time that the former CM has courted controversy. He had previously said that it was "surprising" that when BJP was "in trouble (politically)" bomb blasts happened.
Digvijay Singh on Monday said he stood by his statement that the government had not accepted the demands of terrorists responsible for the Mumbai attacks. Singh sought to place his comments in context of media reports. He said that whatever he had said in Indore was based on these reports and there was no question of retracting his statement.
"I stand by what I said yesterday in Indore," he said. Singh's remark, which came a little over a month after the terror attacks on Mumbai, has created a furore.
He had said that unlike the BJP which gave into the demands of terrorists at Kandahar, the Congress-led government had not negotiated with the militants but had eliminated them.
Again, seeking to make a partisan point, he said there was a big difference between Congress and BJP and added that former external affairs minister Jaswant Singh of BJP had told a TV channel that he would again accept the demands of terrorists if a similar situation arose.
Yet, no just the Centre but Digvijay Singh's own fellow Congressman and Maharashtra home minister Jayant Patil said no demands were made by terrorists during the terror strikes. "From the information made available by Mumbai police, I can say that there were no demands made by the terrorists," Patil said.
"I am not aware on what basis Digvijay Singh has made the statement," the minister added.
Patil's colleague in Nationalist Congress Party R R Patil, who held the home portfolio, resigned on December 1 following criticism of his handling of the home department in the wake of the November 26 attacks.
The Congress general secretary on Monday reiterated that government had not bowed to demands made by the Lashkar squad, a claim that security sources have dismissed. There were inquiries from Israelis over the claims but these were more to do with the possibility of securing the release of those trapped inside Chabad House.
Throughout the siege of Trident and Taj hotels, apart from Chabad House itself, security forces did not hold any negotiations with the terrorists. In fact, after the terrorists were shot, it was argued that an attempt could have been made to engage them - not to concede any demands but to buy time and possibly negotiate safe release of those trapped in the attack.
Yet, while the Congress spokesperson sought to wriggle out of the situation by claiming that Digvijay Singh had "clarified" the situation, this is not the first time that the former CM has courted controversy. He had previously said that it was "surprising" that when BJP was "in trouble (politically)" bomb blasts happened.
Digvijay Singh on Monday said he stood by his statement that the government had not accepted the demands of terrorists responsible for the Mumbai attacks. Singh sought to place his comments in context of media reports. He said that whatever he had said in Indore was based on these reports and there was no question of retracting his statement.
"I stand by what I said yesterday in Indore," he said. Singh's remark, which came a little over a month after the terror attacks on Mumbai, has created a furore.
He had said that unlike the BJP which gave into the demands of terrorists at Kandahar, the Congress-led government had not negotiated with the militants but had eliminated them.
Again, seeking to make a partisan point, he said there was a big difference between Congress and BJP and added that former external affairs minister Jaswant Singh of BJP had told a TV channel that he would again accept the demands of terrorists if a similar situation arose.
Yet, no just the Centre but Digvijay Singh's own fellow Congressman and Maharashtra home minister Jayant Patil said no demands were made by terrorists during the terror strikes. "From the information made available by Mumbai police, I can say that there were no demands made by the terrorists," Patil said.
"I am not aware on what basis Digvijay Singh has made the statement," the minister added.
Patil's colleague in Nationalist Congress Party R R Patil, who held the home portfolio, resigned on December 1 following criticism of his handling of the home department in the wake of the November 26 attacks.
Monday, December 22, 2008
On Hanukkah's First Night, A Chilling Tale
When he checked out of the Taj Mahal hotel at 3 a.m. on Nov. 26, Greg Morris had no inkling of the terror that would unfold just a few hours later in Mumbai, India.
Some of the terrorists - who went on a three-day rampage of killing that led to more than 170 deaths around Mumbai - had already checked into the hotel when Morris, a South African resident and cousin of local businessmen Mark and Len Wolman, left to take a flight home. He had been in India for two weeks on business for his company, Discovery Insurance.
”It was very much like 9/11,” he said. “This was a terrible attack on our world, against a functioning democracy that subscribes to all our beliefs.”
Morris is visiting the Wolmans this week, and attended the annual lighting of a large menorah on the first day of Hanukkah at the Holiday Inn in New London.
The wind played tricks during the ceremony, but finally Rabbi Avrohom Sternberg of Chabad of Eastern Connecticut was able to light the 15-foot-tall, 2,500-pound symbol of the Jewish holiday season.
The ceremony, said Rabbi Sternberg, was dedicated to the people who died in the attacks -- including six Jews, most prominently Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg and his wife, Rivkah Holtzberg, the directors of the Mumbai Jewish center called Chabad-Lubavitch.
”Everything that comes with a difficulty comes with a strong purpose,” said Rabbi Sternberg during the lighting ceremony. “It is cold outside tonight and it is dark ... yet this light will persevere and it will brighten up the darkness.”
Morris pointed out that India traditionally has been among the most hospitable places in the world for Jews and that the attacks haven't led to a mass migration of them out of the country. In fact, Morris said he plans to check into the Taj Mahal hotel -- which reopened Sunday -- the next time he's in Mumbai and that his family has been considering a move to India's financial capital.
Morris said he wouldn't want to give the terrorists the satisfaction of thinking they had changed anyone's mind about wanting to live or work in Mumbai.
”They have the worst traffic in the world, but Indians are incredibly nice people,” he said.
Morris knew Rabbi Holtzberg and spoke highly of his efforts to help Jews in India. But he said it is important to remember that, although Jews were apparently targeted, scores of other people from all walks of life died in the coordinated attack, which targeted 10 sites and lasted about 60 hours.
”More Muslims died in the attack than Jews,” Morris said.
Some of the terrorists - who went on a three-day rampage of killing that led to more than 170 deaths around Mumbai - had already checked into the hotel when Morris, a South African resident and cousin of local businessmen Mark and Len Wolman, left to take a flight home. He had been in India for two weeks on business for his company, Discovery Insurance.
”It was very much like 9/11,” he said. “This was a terrible attack on our world, against a functioning democracy that subscribes to all our beliefs.”
Morris is visiting the Wolmans this week, and attended the annual lighting of a large menorah on the first day of Hanukkah at the Holiday Inn in New London.
The wind played tricks during the ceremony, but finally Rabbi Avrohom Sternberg of Chabad of Eastern Connecticut was able to light the 15-foot-tall, 2,500-pound symbol of the Jewish holiday season.
The ceremony, said Rabbi Sternberg, was dedicated to the people who died in the attacks -- including six Jews, most prominently Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg and his wife, Rivkah Holtzberg, the directors of the Mumbai Jewish center called Chabad-Lubavitch.
”Everything that comes with a difficulty comes with a strong purpose,” said Rabbi Sternberg during the lighting ceremony. “It is cold outside tonight and it is dark ... yet this light will persevere and it will brighten up the darkness.”
Morris pointed out that India traditionally has been among the most hospitable places in the world for Jews and that the attacks haven't led to a mass migration of them out of the country. In fact, Morris said he plans to check into the Taj Mahal hotel -- which reopened Sunday -- the next time he's in Mumbai and that his family has been considering a move to India's financial capital.
Morris said he wouldn't want to give the terrorists the satisfaction of thinking they had changed anyone's mind about wanting to live or work in Mumbai.
”They have the worst traffic in the world, but Indians are incredibly nice people,” he said.
Morris knew Rabbi Holtzberg and spoke highly of his efforts to help Jews in India. But he said it is important to remember that, although Jews were apparently targeted, scores of other people from all walks of life died in the coordinated attack, which targeted 10 sites and lasted about 60 hours.
”More Muslims died in the attack than Jews,” Morris said.
Monday, December 15, 2008
ADL To Argentinean Officials: Concrete Results Needed In Investigation Of Terrorist Attacks Against Jews
Buenos Aires, December 15, 2008
In a series of high-level government meetings in Argentina, top leaders of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) expressed profound disappointment over the lack of resolution in the investigation of two deadly terrorist attacks against Jews carried out by Hezbollah on instruction from Iran in Argentina more than 14 years ago. The Israel Embassy in Buenos Aires was bombed on March 17, 1994 and a suicide terrorist drove a car filled with explosives into the Jewish community's AMIA/DAIA building on July 18, 1994, killing more than 100 people and wounding hundreds of others.
The League's leaders expressed their concerns on the two terrorist attacks and conveyed alarm over the growing influence in Latin America of Iran the nation harboring the international masterminds of the Buenos Aires attacks as well as the close relationship between Argentina and Hugo Chavez's Venezuela.
Following their meetings with high-level government officials, Glen S. Lewy, ADL National Chair, and Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director issued the following statement:
While some important progress has been made in recent years on the investigation, we share the frustration of the Argentine Jewish community that the perpetrators and collaborators of these heinous attacks have not yet been brought to justice.
Since 1992, Argentine authorities have said they are making this investigation a priority; but we keep waiting for concrete results. We worry that Argentina has not internalized that these terror attacks occurred in their own territory, killing their own population, and instead dismiss it as a 'Jewish issue'.
We are troubled that the true perpetrators of these evil acts are still at large. In particular, we are concerned that investigators have yet to identify and apprehend those inside Argentina who assisted the terrorists.
Among the government officials who met with ADL were Anbal Fernandez, Minister of Justice, Security and Human Rights; Jorge E. Taiana, Minister of Foreign Affairs; Minister Sergio Massa, Chief of Staff to President Cristina Fernandez; and Alberto Nisman, prosecutor of the AMIA case who gave a briefing on the latest results of the investigation.
The delegation paid tribute to the victims of the AMIA and Israeli Embassy bombings, visited the Holocaust Museum and attended Shabbat (Sabbath) services at Chabad Lubavitch Argentina, as a testimony of solidarity and tribute to the victims recently killed in the terrorist attack on the Chabad House in Mumbai.
The delegation also met with Dr. Alberto Sileoni, Vice-Minister of Education, to discuss the various anti-bias educational programs offered by the League, as well as with representatives of the Institute Against Discrimination and with religious and Jewish community leaders.
The League's trip was coordinated with the DAIA, the political umbrella organization of the Jewish community in Argentina.
The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913, is the world's leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry.
In a series of high-level government meetings in Argentina, top leaders of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) expressed profound disappointment over the lack of resolution in the investigation of two deadly terrorist attacks against Jews carried out by Hezbollah on instruction from Iran in Argentina more than 14 years ago. The Israel Embassy in Buenos Aires was bombed on March 17, 1994 and a suicide terrorist drove a car filled with explosives into the Jewish community's AMIA/DAIA building on July 18, 1994, killing more than 100 people and wounding hundreds of others.
The League's leaders expressed their concerns on the two terrorist attacks and conveyed alarm over the growing influence in Latin America of Iran the nation harboring the international masterminds of the Buenos Aires attacks as well as the close relationship between Argentina and Hugo Chavez's Venezuela.
Following their meetings with high-level government officials, Glen S. Lewy, ADL National Chair, and Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director issued the following statement:
While some important progress has been made in recent years on the investigation, we share the frustration of the Argentine Jewish community that the perpetrators and collaborators of these heinous attacks have not yet been brought to justice.
Since 1992, Argentine authorities have said they are making this investigation a priority; but we keep waiting for concrete results. We worry that Argentina has not internalized that these terror attacks occurred in their own territory, killing their own population, and instead dismiss it as a 'Jewish issue'.
We are troubled that the true perpetrators of these evil acts are still at large. In particular, we are concerned that investigators have yet to identify and apprehend those inside Argentina who assisted the terrorists.
Among the government officials who met with ADL were Anbal Fernandez, Minister of Justice, Security and Human Rights; Jorge E. Taiana, Minister of Foreign Affairs; Minister Sergio Massa, Chief of Staff to President Cristina Fernandez; and Alberto Nisman, prosecutor of the AMIA case who gave a briefing on the latest results of the investigation.
The delegation paid tribute to the victims of the AMIA and Israeli Embassy bombings, visited the Holocaust Museum and attended Shabbat (Sabbath) services at Chabad Lubavitch Argentina, as a testimony of solidarity and tribute to the victims recently killed in the terrorist attack on the Chabad House in Mumbai.
The delegation also met with Dr. Alberto Sileoni, Vice-Minister of Education, to discuss the various anti-bias educational programs offered by the League, as well as with representatives of the Institute Against Discrimination and with religious and Jewish community leaders.
The League's trip was coordinated with the DAIA, the political umbrella organization of the Jewish community in Argentina.
The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913, is the world's leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry.
`Insensitive' govt continues to ignore Jewish deaths in Mumbai
15 Dec 2008
NEW DELHI: Two-year-old Moshe Holtzberg tugs at your heartstrings, crying for his mother who was brutally killed by Pakistani terrorists at Nariman House in Mumbai during the three-day terror attacks. In many ways, Moshe is the face of the trauma that wracked the city.
Moshe's Israeli parents, Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg, 29, and his pregnant wife, Rivkah, 28, were killed along with other hostages. His story of being whisked away from his dead parents, soaked in blood, by his nanny has brought tears to most hardened hearts all over the world.
The Indian government, however, has remained completely immune to all this. In a display of crass insensitivity as well as an enduring sign that the government continues to pander to the politics of the Muslim-Jew divide, minister of state for external affairs E Ahamed did not mention the Nariman House attack in his statement to the UN Security Council last week. And this from an India which officially maintains that terror has no religion and all victims are equal.
In his speech to the UNSC asking for the world to ban the Jamaat-ud-Dawa, Ahamed referred to "pre-selected targets which included a cafe popular with Indian and foreign tourists and two major hotels". There was no mention of the Jewish Chabad Lubavitch centre, which was specifically chosen by the terrorists to attack Jews.
The Nariman House siege was even more horrific as it was the only one where the entire world was witness to NSG commandos rappelling down from a helicopter and blowing up the building with grenades after a 56-hour battle. It was also the only place where another Jewish leader from New York actually conducted a conversation with one of the terrorists.
While there is no official reason for this omission, sources said it was "inadvertent".
In the aftermath of the attacks, India showed a lot of insensitivity, this was just one more of them. For instance, the Maharashtra government sent official letters of condolence to the families of victims. Singapore found that the name of its lone victim was misspelt badly. The letter had to be returned to get the name right. In Delhi, the Malaysian high commission found that it had not been invited to the government's condolence briefing because its citizen who died in the attacks was of Indian origin, so the government thought he was Indian!
But was Ahamed's omission of the Jewish house in his speech a function of the utterly improbable relationship that India enjoys with Israel or was it a function of the fact that the government didn't want to "anger" Muslims by sympathising with the Jews. Sources said it could be both.
India's relationship with Israel resembles an irresistible, clandestine affair -- where the linkages are growing in many spheres but all below the radar. So, while the government is perfectly happy to have a huge defence relationship with Israel and an intelligence synergy that is seemingly bottomless, a strong fear of angering the Muslim keeps it from acknowledging this relationship openly.
Little Moshe did not even comprehend the nature of his parents' deaths. But for those who hoped for a word of sympathy for an orphaned child, the Indian government has decided not to oblige.
NEW DELHI: Two-year-old Moshe Holtzberg tugs at your heartstrings, crying for his mother who was brutally killed by Pakistani terrorists at Nariman House in Mumbai during the three-day terror attacks. In many ways, Moshe is the face of the trauma that wracked the city.
Moshe's Israeli parents, Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg, 29, and his pregnant wife, Rivkah, 28, were killed along with other hostages. His story of being whisked away from his dead parents, soaked in blood, by his nanny has brought tears to most hardened hearts all over the world.
The Indian government, however, has remained completely immune to all this. In a display of crass insensitivity as well as an enduring sign that the government continues to pander to the politics of the Muslim-Jew divide, minister of state for external affairs E Ahamed did not mention the Nariman House attack in his statement to the UN Security Council last week. And this from an India which officially maintains that terror has no religion and all victims are equal.
In his speech to the UNSC asking for the world to ban the Jamaat-ud-Dawa, Ahamed referred to "pre-selected targets which included a cafe popular with Indian and foreign tourists and two major hotels". There was no mention of the Jewish Chabad Lubavitch centre, which was specifically chosen by the terrorists to attack Jews.
The Nariman House siege was even more horrific as it was the only one where the entire world was witness to NSG commandos rappelling down from a helicopter and blowing up the building with grenades after a 56-hour battle. It was also the only place where another Jewish leader from New York actually conducted a conversation with one of the terrorists.
While there is no official reason for this omission, sources said it was "inadvertent".
In the aftermath of the attacks, India showed a lot of insensitivity, this was just one more of them. For instance, the Maharashtra government sent official letters of condolence to the families of victims. Singapore found that the name of its lone victim was misspelt badly. The letter had to be returned to get the name right. In Delhi, the Malaysian high commission found that it had not been invited to the government's condolence briefing because its citizen who died in the attacks was of Indian origin, so the government thought he was Indian!
But was Ahamed's omission of the Jewish house in his speech a function of the utterly improbable relationship that India enjoys with Israel or was it a function of the fact that the government didn't want to "anger" Muslims by sympathising with the Jews. Sources said it could be both.
India's relationship with Israel resembles an irresistible, clandestine affair -- where the linkages are growing in many spheres but all below the radar. So, while the government is perfectly happy to have a huge defence relationship with Israel and an intelligence synergy that is seemingly bottomless, a strong fear of angering the Muslim keeps it from acknowledging this relationship openly.
Little Moshe did not even comprehend the nature of his parents' deaths. But for those who hoped for a word of sympathy for an orphaned child, the Indian government has decided not to oblige.
Tuesday, December 09, 2008
Slain Mumbai rabbi was reading terror manual
A RABBI murdered in Mumbai by Islamic militants who stormed his home was reading a manual on what to do in case of a terrorist attack, the friend who identified his body says.
A Hebrew book entitled How to Protect Yourself if Terrorists Come to Your House was found on Gavriel Holtzberg's bedside table after the siege of the Jewish prayer centre he ran, Dov Goldberg said.
"He wasn't a man interested in martial arts or fighting," Mr Goldberg, 28, said of his friend and fellow rabbi.
"If he had this book it was for one reason - he was aware of the danger," he said.
"It wasn't among the many books in his library, it was on his night table, he was reading it with his wife."
Mr Holtzberg and his wife Rivka were among six Jews killed when heavily-armed Islamist extremists stormed into the Nariman House complex in the Colaba Market area where they lived and worked.
Mr Goldberg, who had already been appointed as the next leader of the Chabad-Lubavitch orthodox prayer centre run by Mr Holtzberg, was the first to enter the building after the 48-hour seige ended.
A close friend of Mr Holtzberg - they shared accommodation while at rabbinical college in Israel - Mr Goldberg said his friend, who he refers to as "Gavy", asked him earlier this year to join him in India.
He said Mr Holtzberg's wife was five-and-a-half months pregnant and the couple had planned to return to the US for the birth of their third child.
Nariman House was one of three locations where the militants linked to Pakistan-based extremist organisation Lashkar-e-Taiba took hostages during an assault that lasted a total of 60 hours.
Officials put the death toll at 172, including nine of the ten gunmen, with around 300 injured.
A Hebrew book entitled How to Protect Yourself if Terrorists Come to Your House was found on Gavriel Holtzberg's bedside table after the siege of the Jewish prayer centre he ran, Dov Goldberg said.
"He wasn't a man interested in martial arts or fighting," Mr Goldberg, 28, said of his friend and fellow rabbi.
"If he had this book it was for one reason - he was aware of the danger," he said.
"It wasn't among the many books in his library, it was on his night table, he was reading it with his wife."
Mr Holtzberg and his wife Rivka were among six Jews killed when heavily-armed Islamist extremists stormed into the Nariman House complex in the Colaba Market area where they lived and worked.
Mr Goldberg, who had already been appointed as the next leader of the Chabad-Lubavitch orthodox prayer centre run by Mr Holtzberg, was the first to enter the building after the 48-hour seige ended.
A close friend of Mr Holtzberg - they shared accommodation while at rabbinical college in Israel - Mr Goldberg said his friend, who he refers to as "Gavy", asked him earlier this year to join him in India.
He said Mr Holtzberg's wife was five-and-a-half months pregnant and the couple had planned to return to the US for the birth of their third child.
Nariman House was one of three locations where the militants linked to Pakistan-based extremist organisation Lashkar-e-Taiba took hostages during an assault that lasted a total of 60 hours.
Officials put the death toll at 172, including nine of the ten gunmen, with around 300 injured.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Rabbi's attackers identified
Ukrainian authorities reportedly identified the four attackers of a Dnepropetrovsk rabbi.
A special unit of the Secret Service and Ministry of Interior Affairs named the assailants who severely beat Rabbi Dov-Ber Baitman, a teacher at the Jewish educational center Shiurey Torah and the anchor of the local Jewish television show “Video-HiTaS,” on Jan. 24.
The break in the case was reported on the Dnepropetrovsk Jewish community's Web site, www.djc.com.ua
During the attack after evening classes at the educational center, the suspects also shouted anti-Semitic slurs at Baitman, a Lubavitch-Chabad emissary.
A special unit of the Secret Service and Ministry of Interior Affairs named the assailants who severely beat Rabbi Dov-Ber Baitman, a teacher at the Jewish educational center Shiurey Torah and the anchor of the local Jewish television show “Video-HiTaS,” on Jan. 24.
The break in the case was reported on the Dnepropetrovsk Jewish community's Web site, www.djc.com.ua
During the attack after evening classes at the educational center, the suspects also shouted anti-Semitic slurs at Baitman, a Lubavitch-Chabad emissary.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Ukranian president, Jewish leaders to meet
Ukrainian President Viktor Yuschenko will meet local Jewish leaders to discuss recent anti-Semitic attacks.
Yuschenko on Monday also will meet with representatives of the Ukrainian community and law enforcement generals about a spate of anti-Semitic attacks in Ukraine and the lackluster reaction by law enforcement agencies. There have no been no arrests or successful prosecutions, a member of Yuschenko's administration told JTA.
Yuschenko is expected to make a statement about combating the rise of ethnic hatred and anti-Semitic attacks in his country.
In late September three separate attacks on observant Jews took place in Zhitomir, Sevastopol and Cherkassy. On Oct. 5, the Chabad house in the city of Uzhgorod was set ablaze and robbed.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)