Mumbai terrorist attacks hit close to home at Hopkins
After three anxious days of waiting without any news, all six hostages inside the Chabad House were found murdered, including the Holtzberg couple. Rivkah Holtzberg was five months pregnant.
The only two survivors from the attack were the Holtzberg's two-year-old son, Moshe, and the nanny, Sandra Samuel, who rescued him.
Rabbi Gopin emphasized that the attacks will only strengthen the Chabad community's resolve to do good deeds and to serve Jews around the world.
Similarly, IGSA is also resolved to draw something positive out of the calamity.
The group is assembling a memorandum of changes that they want to see implemented in India. The memorandum will be displayed at Friday's vigil. In concert with several other colleges, they will combine the memorandums into one and send it to the Indian media and government.
Talapatra pointed out that the memorandum provided a medium for students to change some of their feelings of anger or helplessness into positive action.
"I think at this time there's a lot of anger about what has happened and about the absolute lack of action that we've received so far," he said. "I know it might sound feeble and ineffective, but it's a start to get people mobilized so that we stop talking about things and start trying to do something about them."
Talapatra hoped that the students' efforts would help to catalyze genuine change.
"That's how democracy works: You keep putting pressure on the authorities and you don't let them forget," he said. "As soon as you forget, they'll forget, and that's it."
The Chabad movement has taken a similar attitude in its response to the tragedy.
"We know one thing," Gopin said in a solemn tone. "There's only one way to counter such evil, and that is to bring even more goodness to this world. That's what Chabad's response is, and that's what it will be."
The only two survivors from the attack were the Holtzberg's two-year-old son, Moshe, and the nanny, Sandra Samuel, who rescued him.
Rabbi Gopin emphasized that the attacks will only strengthen the Chabad community's resolve to do good deeds and to serve Jews around the world.
Similarly, IGSA is also resolved to draw something positive out of the calamity.
The group is assembling a memorandum of changes that they want to see implemented in India. The memorandum will be displayed at Friday's vigil. In concert with several other colleges, they will combine the memorandums into one and send it to the Indian media and government.
Talapatra pointed out that the memorandum provided a medium for students to change some of their feelings of anger or helplessness into positive action.
"I think at this time there's a lot of anger about what has happened and about the absolute lack of action that we've received so far," he said. "I know it might sound feeble and ineffective, but it's a start to get people mobilized so that we stop talking about things and start trying to do something about them."
Talapatra hoped that the students' efforts would help to catalyze genuine change.
"That's how democracy works: You keep putting pressure on the authorities and you don't let them forget," he said. "As soon as you forget, they'll forget, and that's it."
The Chabad movement has taken a similar attitude in its response to the tragedy.
"We know one thing," Gopin said in a solemn tone. "There's only one way to counter such evil, and that is to bring even more goodness to this world. That's what Chabad's response is, and that's what it will be."
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