JERUSALEM, Israel — The Indian nanny who rescued two-year-old Moshe Holtzberg from the attack at Mumbai's Chabad Jewish Centre will be conferred with a special honour usually reserved for those who risked their lives to save Jews from the Holocaust.
The “righteous gentile” award will enable Sandra Samuel to live in Israel. She and Moshe are expected to arrive in the country next week to live with the boy's maternal grandparents.
Israel Names Nanny a ‘Righteous Gentile’
JERUSALEM, Israel — The Indian nanny who rescued two-year-old Moshe Holtzberg from the attack at Mumbai’s Chabad Jewish Centre will be conferred with a special honour usually reserved for those who risked their lives to save Jews from the Holocaust.
The “righteous gentile” award will enable Sandra Samuel to live in Israel. She and Moshe are expected to arrive in the country next week to live with the boy’s maternal grandparents.
This is the honour that was bestowed on Oskar Schindler, the German industrialist who was the subject of Thomas Keneally’s novel, Schindler’s Ark. The book was turned into a film by Steven Spielberg.
Lauded a hero by the Chabad movement and Moshe’s family, Ms Samuel had worked at the centre for about five years. She started caring for Moshe and had become “extremely connected to him”, according to family and friends.
As terrorists stormed the Chabad centre last week, Ms Samuel locked herself in a room with another staff member.
The following morning, she heard Moshe calling her name and went to look for him.
She found Moshe, his pants covered in blood, crying beside his motionless parents. Ms Samuel told reporters she grabbed the child and ran outside.
Moshe’s parents, Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg and his wife Rivka, were confirmed dead after commandos stormed the building. Ms Samuel has expressed a desire to move to Israel to stay with the boy. She will accompany Moshe’s grandparents on a special flight being arranged by Israel’s air force.
According to Menachem Brod, a spokesman for Chabad in Israel, the only obstacle to Ms Samuel being conferred with the status of “righteous gentile” is the paperwork.
The story of Moshe’s survival and his quick-witted nanny has captured the hearts of terror-hardened Israelis, who have been gripped by the saga unfolding in a country many feel they know.
Six hostages were found dead inside the Chabad centre.
PESACH
that is nice at least moshe will be with someone that he knows
what a nes
What a nes. This woman is an incredible person. May Moshe grow up to be a chassid, lamdan and yiras shamayim. May he only have brachos from now on. Moshiach NOW
Leader
Mark my words. He will be one of the next leaders of Chabad.
An Even Greater Leader
Mark my words: he will be a leader of the entire Jewish people, of all of klal Yisrael, bringing us Moshiach!
His nanny truly is righteous. In these dark times, may we be inspired by her brave acts, may we perform mitzvos in Moshe’s honor
David
Moshe will greet his parents momentarily.
Moshiach Now!
Techie Or anyone else,
I still don’t understand how the boy avoided the gunmen was he in another room when the parents were brutaly attacked or did the terriosts yemach Shemom have rachmunos on him?
I think
the terrorists have rachmanis? not a chance! I think the attack occured at night when he was sleeping (10:30) and when he woke up in the morning looking for his parents and crying- he was on a lower floor and the terrorists were higher up then Not sure but this is what I heard
to Moshiach Now!
the child was put to sleep on wednesday night before the terrorists came (it seems from reports that his parents were killed that night). it was only the next morning when the nanny heard him and found him near his parents bodies.
action is the main thing
to Moshiach NOW!! (i agree)
THey didn’t get him b/c that’s what Hashem decided should happen.
nwyay let’s do somehting to bring Moshiach NOW
so they can be together again. Forever
Techiyas Hamaisim now!
Out of all the servants of the mothers, the Torah only mentions the nurse of Rivka Imainu. Thank you Ms Samuel for saving a precious life.