The names of the three people who were killed Thursday by a rocket attack in Kiryat Malachi have been published, and one of whom, it was just discovered, was an emissary from an offshoot of Chabad, who was involved in outreach in India, and was in Israel on a short visit in order to give birth and pay respects to the Chabad victims of the Mumbai terror attack in 2008.

Mirah Scharf (right)
Courtesy of the family

Israeli political consultant Jonny Daniels, citing an Israeli source and a Chabad leader in Israel, told the news site The Algemeiner that Mirah (nee Cohen) Scharf, the 25-year-old victim of today’s attack, was a “shlucha (female emissary)” to New Dehli, India, who was visiting Israel for the memorial service of Gabi and Rivka Holtzberg, the Chabad emissaries who were victims of a Mumbai terror attack. The Hebrew anniversary of their brutal murder is today.

According to the Chabad website, Scharf was also pregnant – she came to Israel in order to give birth, but arrived early to attend the Holtzberg memorial. According to Chabad members, who have been showing an outpour of support on Facebook, she was also the mother of three young children.

A second victim, Ahron Smadja, 49, was the father of the 8 month old baby girl who was injured.

“He was married for 20 years and couldn’t have children then he had twin boys nine years ago, and 8 months ago his daughter was born and he was walking around with a smile on his face that he had a daughter after all this years,” Daniels told The Algemeiner.

“He was one of the first Chabad soldiers to join the Israeli Army,” he said.

The third victim was 22 year old Yitzchak Amsallem.

Israeli Chabad websites Shturem and COL reported that the rocket attack hit the neighborhood of Nachlas Har Chabad, “devastating the entire community as they were unprepared for such an attack. “The shelters in Kiryat Malachi were not readied for the onslaught, and the residents of the building that was hit were running to relative safety under the stairwell of the building, when a missile hit, taking precious lives and injuring the others,” writes Shturem.net.

There is no Iron Dome battery protecting Kiryat Malachi, and the victims reportedly did not take shelter in the building’s stairwell, as Home Front Command instructions require.

View original Arutz Sheva publication at: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/162133#.UKVAJ4avPuY