Our Nation Grieves. Turn Darkness into Light.

Dear Friends,

You are surely aware of the unfortunate tragedy that occurred at the Virginia Tech campus.

We regret to inform you of the passing of a Jewish professor at Virginia Tech yesterday. Professor Liviu Libresco - a 75-year old Romanian-Israeli survivor of the Holocaust - blocked the door to the classroom with his body, sacrificing his life for those of his students. Professor Liviu and his wife Marlina emigrated to Israel from Romania in 1978 and had been living in the US for 22 years. You may share your sympathies with the family by clicking here. Rabbi Shlomo Mayer of Chabad UVA along with Rabbi Yossel Kranz of Chabad of Virginia are in Blacksburg to assist the family with a Jewish burial in Israel and to provide pastoral counseling and spiritual guidance.

As we all seek inspiration, ChabadTexas.org would like share the following resources with the community. Feel free to share your feelings in the comments sections and send nichum aveilim to the Libresco family.

Ø       Thirty Three Murders By Yanki Tauber

Ø       Statement by Chabad on Campus

Ø       Send Condolences to the Libresco family

Statement Regarding the Tragedy at Virginia Tech
Chabad on Campus International Foundation

April 16, 2007 -- On behalf of the rabbis and staff of the 120 Chabad Student Centers in the United States and around the world, we express our profound shock at the senseless shooting that occurred earlier today at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, Virginia. Jewish tradition teaches that each human being is an entire world. Dozens of worlds were prematurely darkened today. The victims and their families are in our thoughts and prayers.

The Lubavitcher Rebbe, of righteous memory, taught of the need to turn tears into action. In the wake of today's tragedy, Chabad on Campus pledges to redouble its efforts to be a beacon of light on the college campus -- to provide a safe, nurturing environment to everyone who enters our doors. We urge students to increase our acts of goodness and kindness.

The men and women of Chabad are poised to offer any necessary assistance to the families of the victims and to the Virginia Tech campus community.

Students on other campuses seeking a safe space to discuss the tragedy, for guidance or referral, may contact their local Chabad student center. Please click here for a complete directory.

Chabad on Campus acts as a home-away-from-home, providing educational, social, spiritual and holiday programming for Jewish students at more than 120 campuses worldwide. To learn more about Chabad on Campus, please click here.