By Anshel Pfeffer, Haaretz
Chabad members are keeping Indian caretaker Sandra Samuel in an undisclosed apartment in the north of Israel, where she is staying with Moshe Holtzberg, the 2-year-old son of Gavriel and Rivkah Holtzberg, Chabad emissaries murdered in last week’s terrorist attacks in Mumbai.
Samuel, who spirited the child away from the city’s Chabad House 12 hours after terrorists had taken it over, was granted special permission to enter Israel. It remains unclear how long she will be allowed to stay, but a family member said yesterday, “if necessary, we will keep her here for another few months.”
Yehuda Donin, a relative of the Holtzbergs, said Samuel and Moshe are staying in a separate apartment, away from family members sitting shiva, the traditional seven-day mourning period, at Rivkah’s parents’ home in Afula. “The whole world wants to interview [Samuel], and it’s important to let her rest,” he said.
Meanwhile, the family has decided that “it is important that the people of Israel know what happened there,” and have therefore decided to grant interviews to Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, Channel 2 and CNN, which will be aired at the end of this week.
Sources at the Chabad movement in Israel, which until now has accompanied the family and organized last week’s public funeral for the couple, expressed discomfort at family members’ behavior. They said it was Rabbi David Grossman of Migdal Ha’emek, the brother-in-law of Rivkah Holtzberg’s father, who sponsored Samuel’s arrival in Israel, and who should determine which news outlets are given interviews.
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I could not stop thinking of this baby for a week now. His face is so precious and he bring sme to tears. It is nice to see him laughing and having fun again. But, he needs to be with Sandra for while it looks. God Bless you Sandra.
I can not control my tears for Moshe. It’s my prayer to the God to keep the child happy. Hope Moshe will become a good citizen like his parents one day. One request to Sandra Samuel, plz stay with the baby.
The child has enough worries without the media hounding him. Its so sad.
For being directly affected by the events in the Chabad House and being close with the victims, I hope Ms. Samuel is getting some counseling.