Chabad Emissaries join the CTVP in comforting the families of the Mumbai terror victims.

The first contingent of Shluchim from around the world set out today to visit all the families of those murdered in the Chabad House of Mumbai. Chabad’s Terror Victim Project arranged and accompanied the group on their round of emotional visits. These visits strengthened the families who expressed their appreciation of the Shluchim’s participation in their loss and mourning.

The first contingent of Shluchim from around the world set out today to visit all the families of those murdered in the Chabad House of Mumbai. Chabad’s Terror Victim Project arranged and accompanied the group on their round of emotional visits. These visits strengthened the families who expressed their appreciation of the Shluchim’s participation in their loss and mourning.

This morning an honorary contingent of Shluchim departed the Tzeirei Chabad headquarters in Kfar Chabad for a round of condolence visits to the families of those murdered in the Chabad House in Mumbai. The group included Shluchim from around the world, Rabbi Chaim Tzvi Groner from Australia; Rabbi Moshe Perman, the Shliach to Venezuela; Rabbi Menashe Perman, the Shliach to Chile; Rabbi Moshe Lisbon, a Shliach to Los Angeles, California.

The journey began in the direction of the northern city of Afula, where the Shluchim met the Holtzberg and Rosenberg families. They spoke with the families at length about the great self sacrifice of their children Rabbi Gabi and Mrs. Rivka Holtzberg HY”D (May G-d Avenge Their Blood), on their Shlichus to Mumbai, and about future plans for expanding Chabad’s activities in the area. Residents of Afula were streaming in, and it was recognizable that the pain they felt for the families was very personal. Many who had visited the Chabad House in India came to relate to the parents the warm hospitality which they received from their children, the Shluchim.

After conveying condolences to the families in the name of their respective communities, the Shluchim traveled to the home of Mrs. Yocheved Orpaz HY”D. The family was surprised and deeply moved that the Rebbe’s Shluchim from all corners of the world came especially for them. Rabbi Moshe Perman spoke in the name of the Shluchim and conveyed their heartfelt condolences to the family. Yocheved’s daughter who was in India with her young children related the incidents from the past week, when her mother came to visit them. Yocheved was scheduled to leave the Chabad House to the airport for her return flight to Israel when the terrorists stormed the building. It took many painful hours and days until the family heard the bitter news. Avi, Yocheved’s son, waited for his mother in Ben Gurion airport. After three hours, he had a feeling that something ominous was happening, until he heard the news from India that his mother was in the Chabad House during the attack. Avi is wearing a blue kippa with the lettering Chabad House – Mumbai, which he found in his mother’s bag, as if she prepared it for him for the days to come.

The family related to the Shluchim about all the assistance they are receiving from the Shliach to Rosh Ha’ayin, Rabbi Avigad Akiva, with arranging prayers at their home.

After words of consolation, all the visitors joined the Shluchim for afternoon prayers and the recitation of Kaddish. The Shluchim then continued to visit the family of Mrs. Norma Rabinowitz HY”D of Mexico. Rabbi Menachem Kutner, of Chabad in Israel, has been in constant contact with Rabbi Yosef Meizlish, Shliach to Mexico City, who is very close with the Rabinowitz family. When the group of Shluchim arrived at the Rabinowitz family, Rabbi Meizlish called Rabbi Kutner and put Mrs. Rabinowitz’s children on the phone with their grandmother in Mexico, where Rabbi Meizlish had arranged the Shiva prayers. It was a very moving telephone conversation, which brought some measure of comfort to the grandmother. The Shliach to Chile, Rabbi Menashe Perman, spoke to the family in Spanish and comforted them in the name of all the Shluchim.

At the home of Rabbi Bentzion Kruman HY”D in Bat Yam, the family of the deceased sat with the Shluchim for a long time describing the warm connection which Bentzion had with the Chabad House in China where he used to visit very often in the capacity of his work as a Kashrus supervisor.

At the home of Rabbi Leibush Teitelbaum HY”D, in the Beis Yisroel neighborhood of Jerusalem, the shluchim were received with great honor. The family expressed amazement at the work the Shluchim do throughout the world with such great self-sacrifice. They also heard from the Shluchim words of comfort as they were once explained by the Rebbe.

Late in the evening, at the end of their day of visits, the Shluchim said to Rabbi Kutner that this was a day of Shlichus, bringing people together and sanctifying the Rebbe’s name.