Moshe Holtzberg at the Chabad Center in Mumbai
Child returns to Mumbai Jewish center where his parents were murdered
Nine years after his life was saved by a local nanny, 11-year-old Moshe Holtzberg visits the Chabad Center in India where his parents were gunned down by Muslim terrorists along with four other Israelis in November 2008; 'he has now come full circle,' says head of Chabad Trust in India.
Nine years after the Mumbai terror attacks,
11-year-old Moshe Holtzberg
on Tuesday returned the Chabad Center where his parents, Rabbi Gabriel Noach and Rivkah Holtzberg,
were murdered.
This was the boy's first visit to India since the attack, which took place when he was only two years old. Holtzberg was invited to join Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on his six-day visit to the country.
Moshe Holtzberg returns to Chabad House in Mumbai for first time (Photo: AFP)
He arrived at the Chabad Center with his grandparents and with Sandra Samuel, the local nanny who saved his life.
"He has now come full circle," Rabbi Israel Kozlovsky, the head of the Chabad Trust in India said. "Think of how he left that place several years ago, and now he is returning to a vibrant and thriving place with Jewish activity, like it was during the Holtzbergs' era. Terror hasn't won."
He's coming back to "the very place where his life was miraculously saved by his Indian nanny."
Six Israelis were murdered in the November 2008 attack: The Holtzbergs, Rabbi Leibish Teitelbaum, Bentzion Kruman, Yoheved Orpaz and Norma Shvarzblat Rabinovich.
Rabbi Kozlovsky and his wife Chaya have been running the Chabad Center in the same building, Nariman House, where the attack took place. Moshe Holtzberg is expected to stay with the Kozlovskys and their four children in the coming days.
"The last time Moishi left this place it was under fire. This is the place that built his identity," the rabbi added.
"When he came here, he was shocked by how excited the Indian media outlets were about his visit. He asked questions about the place and visited the synagogue that had been run by his father. He also went to the nearby Taj Hotel which was also attacked. He is showing a lot of interest, but he hasn't said much about himself."
Moshe Holtzberg arriving in Israel in 2008 with nanny Sandra Samuel (Photo: Boaz Arad)
On Monday, the Rabbi Kozlovsky told reporters: "We are very excited for the upcoming visit of Baby Moshe, who is not anymore a baby. But he will always remain in our heart as baby Moshe."
He's coming back to "the very place where his life was miraculously saved by his Indian nanny."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara at the Taj Mahal (Photo: Avi Ohayon/GPO)
Meanwhile Tuesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara visited the Taj Mahal in the city of Agra.
"This is a moment of pleasure in a very intensive visit," the prime minister said. "I would like to thank my friend, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, for making this moment possible for us. We have encountered a lot of love for Israel in India and now we have come to the temple of love."
