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Jewish Center Targeted During 2008 Mumbai Attacks Reopens

Rabbi Israel Kozlovsky, the new director of Nariman House in Mumbai, lights a candle Tuesday at the spot where his predecessor, Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg, was killed during a 2008 attack.
Indranil Mukherjee
/
AFP/Getty Images
Rabbi Israel Kozlovsky, the new director of Nariman House in Mumbai, lights a candle Tuesday at the spot where his predecessor, Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg, was killed during a 2008 attack.

Rabbis from across Asia attended Tuesday's ceremony to mark the reopening of the Jewish center in Mumbai, India, that was one of the scenes of the bloody attacks on the city in November 2008.

The Nov. 26, 2008, attack on India's commercial capital killed more than 160 people, including six people at Nariman House, the Chabad center in historic south Mumbai. Among those killed at the Jewish center were Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg and his pregnant wife, who had lived in Mumbai since 2003. Their 2-year-old son was saved by his nanny and now lives in Israel.

"It's a very special day for his family and friends," said Rabbi Nachman Holtzberg, the slain rabbi's father, who attended Tuesday's ceremony. "Everybody remembers that terrifying day and the tragedy. The couple had spread the message of goodness, hope, tolerance and love. We need to ensure their mission to spread love continues to grow further."

His comments were reported by the Press Trust of India.

PTI added that 25 rabbis from Chabad centers across Asia attended the ceremony. The centers have been set up by the orthodox Chabad-Lubavitch group, which is present in more than 80 countries.

The new head of the Mumbai center, Rabbi Israel Kozlovsky, said the rebuilt Nariman House would include a $2.5 million Jewish museum and the city's first memorial to those killed in the attacks. That's according to The Associated Press.

The 2008 attack by Pakistani gunmen, which brought the city to a standstill, also targeted a major train station, the iconic Taj Mahal hotel and a café popular with tourists.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Krishnadev Calamur is NPR's deputy Washington editor. In this role, he helps oversee planning of the Washington desk's news coverage. He also edits NPR's Supreme Court coverage. Previously, Calamur was an editor and staff writer at The Atlantic. This is his second stint at NPR, having previously worked on NPR's website from 2008-15. Calamur received an M.A. in journalism from the University of Missouri.