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Boston Jews mourn Mumbai victims

Email|Link|Comments (10) Posted by Michael Paulson December 2, 2008 02:55 PM

About two dozen local Chabad rabbis, joined by other leaders of the Boston-area Jewish community, gathered in front of the State House this morning in a show of solidarity after six people were killed by terrorists in the Chabad House in Mumbai last week.

The event was an interesting, although not surprising, show of unity across the spectrum of the Jewish community. The crowd included not only the leaders of most of the local Chabad centers, but also many of the Jewish community's most prominent leaders -- Nancy Kaufman of the Jewish Community Relations Council; Rob Leikind of the American Jewish Committee; Barry Shrage of Combined Jewish Philanthropies; Derrek Shulman, the regional director of the Anti-Defamation League; and Rabbi Bill Hamilton of Congregation Kehillath Israel. Among the speakers was Rony Yedidia, the deputy consul-general of Israel in Boston, who said she had spent a festive Purim at the Chabad in Mumbai and had met the slain rabbi and his wife.

I'll have a full story in tomorrow's paper (UPDATE: Here's the story), but for now, here's a short video I made of the event:

Also today, the Central Conference of American Rabbis, which represents Reform rabbis -- at the other end of the theological spectrum from the ultra-orthodox Chabad -- issued a statement of support for Chabad, declaring, "We stand with our Jewish brothers and sisters, in shock at the brutal, senseless murders...All Jewish people are connected to one another. We are one people in mourning today."

Here is an updated list of local memorial services:

• At 6 p.m. tonight, Yeshiva Chabad of Central Massachusetts will hold a memorial service at 22 Newton Avenue in Worcester.

• At 7:30 pm tonight, Chabad of the North Shore will hold a memorial service at 44 Burrill Street in Swamspcott.

• At 7:45 pm tonight, there is a memorial service at the Chabad at Chestnut Hill at 163 Bellingham Rd.

• At 1 p.m. tomorrow (Wednesday), the Interfaith Chaplaincy at Brandeis will hold a rally in front of the Goldfarb library on campus. Brandeis Chabad officials, as well as leaders of other campus faith groups, will participate.

• At 7 p.m. tomorrow (Wednesday), the Chabad Russian Center of Boston will hold a memorial service at Shaloh House Jewish Day School, located at 29 Chestnut Hill Avenue in Brighton.

• at 7:30 p.m. tomorrow (Wednesday), the Shaloh House Chabad of the South Area will hold a prayer memorial vigil at 50 Ethyl Way in Stoughton.

• At 6 p.m. Thursday, the Asian American Commission of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is hosting a candlelight vigil at City Hall Plaza.

(Photo by David Ryan of the Globe staff.)

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10 comments so far...

my condolences, and may the sponsors of this heinous act be tracked down and brought to justice. May the doctrine of violent jihad be refuted and abandoned.

Posted by gaudete December 2, 08 07:57 PM

Thank you for the article, I was one of the Rabbis present.
I would appreciate if you can include memorial service to take place at our center in Stoughton: Shaloh House Chabad of the South Area in Stoughton on Wednesday night at 7:30 PM. www.shalohhouse.com

Posted by Rabbi Gurkow December 2, 08 08:49 PM

We pray for our Jewish brothers and sisters and all of the innocent victims of this senseless violence

Posted by j December 2, 08 09:12 PM

To All Jews Brother and Sister
My Condolences from Heart, and we will fight to protect jews all around world.
Raju Kumar
True Indian

Posted by Raju Kumar December 3, 08 06:59 AM

Loss of innocent life is always tragic. Maybe all jews around the world will wake up one day and realize that the Palestinians that are killed everyday by Israeli forces perhaps is another form of "terrorism."

Posted by The Truth December 3, 08 08:57 AM

I just find it very odd how much media attention is paid to the loss of life in the Jewish community from the Mumbai bombings, versus the attention paid to the loss of life in the Hindu community.

I understand there are many more Jewish residents in the Boston area (and I'm one of them!) than Hindu, but the focus on the Jewish loss of life (a pretty small % of the victims) is noticeably disproportionate.

Posted by scott December 3, 08 01:08 PM

Raju Kumar,

Thank you. India has always extended its hand to the Jewish community. Jews will never forget the friend they have in the Indian world.

Posted by reindeergirl December 3, 08 01:17 PM

The truth - I can't agree more. When was the last time we read "Muslims mourn Iraqi or Palestinian victims" in this paper? Unfortunately, it would be a daily headline.

I'm so tired of this double standard.

Posted by Janet December 3, 08 01:52 PM

Hindus on the steps of the State House? I must have missed that.
"If you want to end war and stuff, you gotta sing loud." AG

Posted by groupWbench December 3, 08 03:49 PM

To the (non)truth/falsehood,

Your reply to this blog entry is without merit. First of all, surely you know that the Jews killed in Mumbai were tortured before being murdered? Have you ever heard of Jews torturing Palestinians? Also, your refusal to capitalize the word 'jews' (when you do captialize Palestinians and Israelis!) speaks volumes about how you dehumanize them. But the main difference is in the word "innocent." There is no doubt that the Chabad Rabbi and family were in no way persecuting or being violent toward any Muslims in India. There is at least a good argument that the Palestinians who are unfortunately killed by defending Israelis, are guilty of attacking civilian Israelis, and therefore not 'innocent'. Those same jihadists are also guilty of the death of any Palestinians who are inadvertently, unintentionally killed, by Israeli defensive measures, 'collateral damage' as the unfortunately hygenic American phrase goes. Your comment reeks of moral equivalency.

Posted by gaudete December 3, 08 06:42 PM

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Michael Paulson covers religion for The Boston Globe. He shared in the Pulitzer Prize in 2003, won the Mike Berger, Templeton and Supple awards in 2008, and is a four-time winner of the Wilbur Award.
E-mail mpaulson@globe.com.

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Photo, by Yoon S. Byun of the Globe staff, shows Harriet Severino, 45, practicing Zen meditation on May 19, 2009 at a weekly gathering called Ralph Waldo Emerson Zen Sangha at the First Church in Boston (Unitarian Universalist).