Lew Shaw’s Blog from Haifa

I was a young bank clerk in Jerusalem in 1972 when the country heard the news from Munich.  Israeli athletes at the Olympics were taken hostage by members of the Black Sabbath Palestinian terrorist group.  During a botched rescue attempt by German commandos, many were killed.  Israel was stunned and began a period of national mourning.  I had never experienced anything like it, as if the world stood still in shock.

That event seemed so recent as I followed the fate of the hostages in Mumbai over the past few days.  Local news sources gave details of the young Israeli-American Lubbavitche rabbi and his wife who were among the hostages at the local Chabbad center.  Indian officials refused rescue aid from the Israeli government (I expect much flack about that over the next few days, aimed at defense minister, Ehud Barak).  And finally Friday afternoon I read the confirmation that Gavriel and Rivka Holtzberg and six others were dead after an Indian commando rescue attempt.  I expect a similar period of national mourning and soul-searching will take place over the next few days. 

I enjoyed a wonderful American-Israeli Thanksgiving dinner at Alonei Abba, hosted by Ron and Abbie Rosner, brother and sister-in-law of my friend Hanna.  Hanna, a 60-year old sculptor and world traveler, had just last month returned from three months in India.  As we raised a glass and gave thanks for so much, we prayed for the fate of those caught up in the on-going terrorist action in Mumbai, apparently aimed at the usual enemies of Muslim extremists – Americans, Jews, Israelis.  Hanna spoke fondly about the work that Chabbad does throughout Asia, unpretentiously tending to the souls and needs of Israeli and other Jewish travelers and local Jewish communities.