UPDATED 2:30PM EST/ 9:30PM IL: (EARLIER UPDATES IN EXTENDED ARTICLE)

Bituach Leumi announced on Sunday night it will make arrangements for the burials of the Mumbai Kedoshim.

Fund to assist family of Mumbai victim:

A fund has been established to assist the family of Bentzion Kruman [The media has been spelling it Chroman]. The fund is endorsed by Rabi Aron Twerski and others.

One may donate online by visiting http://www.krumanfoundation.org/

Mumbai Sources:

The terrorists who perpetrated the attack were living in the city during the past year to familiarize themselves with the area and the buildings.

ZAKA / Yehuda Meshi-Zahav:

The air force plane carrying the Mumbai Kedoshim will hopefully return to Tel Aviv on Monday night. As we go to print, Chabad websites are reporting the flight has departed for Mumbai, carrying coffins for the Kedoshim.  The flight had been delayed from 2:00pm to obtain visas for the passengers.

Eida Chareidis atzeres tefilla due to the economic situation:

The Eida Chareidis is holding a Monday afternoon atzeres tefilla in the Meah Shearim area due to the global economic situation. It was first believed it would be postponed due to the funerals of the Kedoshim on Mumbai but since the flight bringing them home was delayed, the tefilla rally will take place, headed by Eida leaders. Following the murders of the Kedoshim in the Chabad House, the Eida adds that rally will also address the need to improve our ways and do tshuva.

Rav Gavriel receives a bracha from the Rebbe:

When Rav Holtzberg HY”D went to the Lubavitcher Rebbe ZT”L in 5749 to ask for a bracha on his eighth birthday, the Rebbe gave him a bracha for success in all his endeavors.

Replacement Shaliach Appointed for Mumbai:

Haaretz: Chabad Shaliach to Goa Rabbi Dov Goldberg has been appointed to fill the void in Mumbai the newspaper’s website reports on Sunday night. This HAS NOT been confirmed with any official Chabad source at this time. He may be assuming his new post as early as this week.

Levaya will bring people from around the world:

With the air force Kedoshim flight finally on its way to Mumbai, plans for the funerals of the Kedoshim are underway. Chabad Shluchim from around the world are expected to participate, as well as many Jews from all walks of life. The funerals for Rabbi Gavriel Noach Holtzberg HY”D and Rebbitzin Rivka Holtzberg HY”D will most likely be held in Kfar Chabad on Tuesday. Details to be announced as they become available.

UPDATE 12:30PM EST/ 7:30PM IL: Foreign Ministry officials are reporting additional Israelis have been located, now stating only two people are missing Baruch Hashem.

CNN is reporting the official death tool in Mumbai is 183 with 273 people injured.

7:15pm: Yehuda Meshi-Zahav

The delay in the flight is due to the demand for visas. “All day the media poked fun at the Mumbai security forces saying ‘they could have done it better’. It appears that here too, we could have done it better. The Indian officials are working at their pace so in the meantime, we are waiting for visas to permit takeoff and then completion of the process to bring the bodies home for kvura. We said visas are required and they said no. We were correct. We could have landed in India and not be permitted out of the airport without visas.”

Radio Kol Chai:

The terrorists were “armed to the teeth” with high quality explosives, hoping to perpetrate an attack larger than 9/11.

It appears the men were killed first:

Investigators believe that with the exception of Rav Holtzberg, the men were murdered first since they were not bound but the bodies of the women were. There is also testimony that Rav Holtzberg spoke with Chabad representatives in America and that his body was still warm when Zaka officials received it erev Shabbos [Israel time].

Moishele’s nanny expected to come to Israel:

Sandra Samuel, the nanny who saved Moshe Holtzberg, has been with Israel Foreign Ministry officials since she fled the Chabad House. She remains Moshe’s primary caretaker since she is the only one he is familiar with. It is believed she will be returning to Israel on the special Israel Air Force flight.

Almagor Terror Victim Org Director Meir Indor:

Indor, a lt.-colonel in the IDF reserves questions Israel’s handling of the Mumbai matter pertaining to an incident involving Israeli hostages, namely the Chabad House. Indor also points out that Israel has good diplomatic relations with India, even security matters, and the Foreign Ministry was not assertive enough and should have stepped in once it was realized the situation was not being handled to Israel’s satisfaction.

Indor draws an analogy from the Munich Massacre, when a much stronger army was permitted to rescue the Israelis – and we saw the sad results there too.

Indor in short questions why Israel did not do more towards sending an Israeli commando team rather than take a sit-back-and-watch attitude.

UPDATE 11:54AM EST / 6:54PM IL: The Toldos Avraham Yitzchak Rebbe Shlita and the Volover Rebbe Shlita arrived in Eretz Yisrael at about 5:00PM on Sunday from JFK airport. On a flight from Newark Airport were members of the Chroman family, grandparents and others.

According to Chaim Weingarten, head of the Zaka team in Mumbai, local authorities have given their release for the bodies to be flown to Israel for burial and they are now waiting for a plane scheduled to take off from Ben-Gurion International Airport on Sunday evening. He said the flight is about 10 hours and then, there will be a brief ceremony for the locals who are shattered over the murders of Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg and his wife Rivka.

Some are questioning why the delay in the take off from Tel Aviv? It appears that the government first informed the 30 people traveling on the special flight they do not need visas but the Indian government had other ideas. This has delayed the flight for hours and as of 5:00PM on Sunday, some of the people waiting to leave indicated they will not be taking off anytime soon.

People accompanying the special flight include Yehuda Meshi-Zahav, Zaka’s director; Chaim Untmazgin, a senior Zaka official; the IDF Homefront Command’s chief rabbi; Shuki Lavi from Chabad; HaGaon Rav Yuslovsky, Rav of Nachlat Har Chabad and a relative of Rivka Holtzberg HY”D as well as IDF and Israel Police forensic experts and other specialists.

Weingarten:

There are five bodies, four Israelis and one Mexican Jew. At present, four Israelis are still listed as missing, stating it is entirely possible they are backpacking somewhere.

Weingarten:

The Zaka team broke up into teams on Sunday, with two volunteers maintaining shmira for the bodies. Other visited hospitals seeking people who may be the missing Israelis. There are 3 or 4 bodies of “westerners” who may be the Israelis. A final determination will be forthcoming on Monday when the Israeli forensic team arrives.

When asked if the funeral will be on Monday or Tuesday, Weingarten stated it is still too early to say for certain, at least until the plane arrives from Israel.

Kol Chareidi reports the Eida Chareidis will not permit the state to run the funeral of Rav Aryeh Leibish Teitlebaum. An Eida spokesman, Chaim Oppenheim, told the Kol Chareidi that “all of a sudden, the medina feels it is involved in the funeral. Rav Leibish was born, bred and lived as a Satmar and there is no nechama for his neshama to permit the medina to become involved in his funeral.” Rav Oppenheim was careful to point out that his statements reflect reality, but in no way is he delivering an official statement for the Eida Chareidit.

“He was murdered because he was a Jew without any connection to the medina.” When asked if he knows if the Eida officially informed the state that it does not wish any official State of Israel involvement, he stated “for certain officials were told their official involvement is unwanted but anyone is invited to stand at the side and take part in the levaya.”

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)