Baruch Dayan Emet

Baruch Dayan Emet, meaning "blessed is the true judge" is the traditional Jewish response upon hearing of a death. As of this morning (Eastern time), it has been confirmed that among those dead at the Mumbai Chabad House, known as Nariman House, are Rabbi Gavriel Noach Holtzberg and his wife Rivka.

In all of the reporting that I've been following, including the BBC, CNN, The New York Times, and The Washington Post, there has been some confusion as to what exactly Chabad is and what they do, and what the Holtzbergs were doing in Mumbai. Possibly the best resource out there is The Rebbe's Army: Inside the World of Chabad-Lubavitch, a book that I read several years ago in my own effort to better understand this particular branch of Hasidism.

We extend our deepest sympathies to all of those who have been affected by the recent and ongoing events in Mumbai.