E-Paper
26/11 survivor ‘Baby Moshe’, now 16, recites from Book of Psalms at inauguration of 25th Knesset
Moshe Holtzberg was only two during the Mumbai terror attack in 2008 in which he lost his parents. Now 16, ‘Baby Moshe’ –as he was famously dubbed when a photo of his terrified-looking caretaker running from the besieged Chabad House clutching the little boy was splashed on the front pages of newspapers around the world -- is a symbol of life amid tragedy, revival and hope.
Moshe Holtzberg was only two during the Mumbai terror attack in 2008 in which he lost his parents. Now 16, ‘Baby Moshe’ –as he was famously dubbed when a photo of his terrified-looking caretaker running from the besieged Chabad House clutching the little boy was splashed on the front pages of newspapers around the world -- is a symbol of life amid tragedy, revival and hope.
On Tuesday, the Israeli boy recited the Psalms “for my brothers and friends” during the inauguration ceremony of the newly elected 25th Knesset, the country’s parliament.
“At the swearing-in ceremony of #Israel’s 25th #Knesset, 26/11 survivor Moshe Holtzberg recited Psalm 122 from the Book of Psalms. Moshe lost his parents in the 2008 #Mumbai terror attack. This horrific incident is a shared pain for both our nations Israel-India,” tweeted Israel in India.
Next week will mark the 14th anniversary of the horrific terror attacks on November 26, 2008 during which 166 people were killed by Pakistan-based terrorists, who targeted five places in Mumbai, including the Chabad House.
The day is marked by several events across the country to pay respects to the victims of the attack in which six Jews were also killed at the Nariman House, popularly known as the Chabad House.
Israeli leaders and officials have repeatedly called for the perpetrators of the horrendous crime to be “brought to justice”.
The dead included Moshe’s parents, Gabriel and Rivka Holtzberg; the boy, however, had a lucky escape when his caretaker heard him crying and risked her life to pull him out from the Chabad house. Moshe’s parents were the directors of the Chabad House.
Days ago, the youngster also addressed virtually an informal briefing of the Counter Terrorism Committee of the UN Security Council on October 28 that met in Mumbai, calling upon to find new ways to fight terror so that “nobody has to go through what he has gone through”.
In the video, he is heard narrating the incident and his lucky escape with the help of Sandra, “who risked her own life in order to save me”.
Recalling his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Israel in 2017, Moshe said that “he (Modi) hugged me warmly and was really excited and invited me with my grandparents to visit India”.
“It was very important for him to see me,” he added.
Later, in January 2018, Moshe visited Mumbai—his first since leaving India after the attack -- with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“I feel grateful to him (Modi) for his warmth and kindness,” said the youngster, who said he dreams of becoming the director of the Chabad House.
“Your gathering here in Mumbai is very important so that you will find new ways to fight against terror, so that nobody goes through what I have gone through,” he concluded in his address to the Counter Terrorism Committee of the UN Security Council.
The family will be holding the remembrance day prayers for their lost ones on November 24 in Jerusalem at the Mt. of Olives cemetery, as per the Hebrew Calendar, this year.
The 120 members of Israel’s 25th Knesset were sworn in on Tuesday, ushering in a right-wing, religious majority, many members of which have vowed to pursue a radical agenda, while providing Israel with long-sought domestic political stability after a cycle of five elections in less than four years.
