Aizawl, Nov. 29: A pall of gloom descended on the Sabbath service of the Jews here this morning as the news of the death of Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg at Nariman House in Mumbai trickled in.

The Jews offered a special prayer by saying Kaddis (a particular chapter read out during the unnatural death of a person) from the prayer book of Siddur for the “eternal peace” of the Rabbi and his wife Rivka who fell victim to the country’s worst-ever terrorist attacks.

State Hazan (head priest of the community in the state) Makabia Zadeng led the special prayer.

There are about a thousand Jews in Mizoram who believe they are the descendants of the Menashe tribe of Israel.

Before the “special prayer” was offered, a two-minute silence was observed.

The devotees had congregated for their weekly Sabbath prayer at the synagogue when a member of the community, Elisheva, broke the news.

As the Jews do not mourn on the Sabbath day, there was no mourning ritual at the synagogue. There was just a special prayer. But the women devotees could not control their tears.

Another sect of the Jewish community here sang mourning songs at Elohim (the House of God), read verses from the holy book of Torah, and held a mourning service.