By Adam Allington, KWMU
Creve Coeur, MO – A Hasidic Jewish community in St. Louis held a memorial service Sunday for the victims of the Mumbai terror attacks.
The memorial was organized by Chabad-Lubavitch of Greater St. Louis. The service began with a reading of Psalms.
Among the nearly 200 people killed in the Mumbai terror attacks were six Jewish hostages at the Mumbai Chabad Center.
Rabbi Yosef Landa said the challenge is to create something positive out of the tragedy.
"Obviously we're grieving, but hopefully years from now we'll be able to look back at this event and at least look at the good that was generated, look at the positive," Landa said.
Landa said he is confident that the Chabad community will rebuild the Mumbai center even bigger than before.
Chabad is a sect of Hassidic Judaism, with origins in Eastern Europe.
Zubaida Ibrahim with the Islamic Foundation of Greater St. Louis offered her support to the members of Chabad's St. Louis community.
"We extend our deepest sympathies to the families of victims, particularly to Christian and Jews," Ibrahim said.
"We are deeply saddened by the ultimate death of Rabbi Gavriel and Rivka Holtzberg, the beloved director of Chabad of Mumbai, India."
The Holtzbergs' two-year old son, Moshe, was rescued from the Chabad Center and sent to Israel.
Other speakers at the ceremony included St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley who called the attack "a sign of the times," but something he hopes people can move beyond.