Mr. Speaker, last November, a terrible slaughter occurred in Mumbai. Among the more than 170 people slain by religious fanatics were Rabbi Gavriel and Rivka Holtzberg. The Holtzbergs were a devout couple, with a young son. They ran Nariman House, an outreach centre devoted to the spirit of charity and the love of learning found at Judaism's core.
Our colleague, the hon. Minister of Immigration, visited Nariman Chabad House after this infamous attack. In his words, “I marvelled that of the 20 million in Mumbai the killers meticulous and deliberately sought out this one man and his family”.
Their murder was a senseless and brutal affront to the values of all civilized peoples.
I am sure I speak for all members of the House in expressing condolences to the Chabad Lubavitch family that is gathering in Ottawa this week and to all who mourn the deaths of Gavriel and Rivka Holtzberg. Together, we must work to protect freedom of religion in order to secure tolerance and genuine peace for all of the people of the world.