Sandra Samuel
| Righteous Among the Nations |
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| By country |
Sandra Samuel (born c. 1964) is an Indian nanny who saved the life of two-year-old Moshe Holtzberg during the November 2008 Mumbai attacks. The government of Israel is considering granting Samuel the title Righteous among the Nations.[1][2]
Moshe is the son of Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg and his wife, Rivka, who were Israel-born directors of the centre run by the global Orthodox Jewish Chabad movement. Samuel saved Moshe when Nariman House was attacked during the November 2008 Mumbai attacks. Both of Moshe's parents were killed in the attack. Samuel is currently helping to care for Moshe in Israel.
Samuel had been working for the Holtzbergs for several years and had cared for Moshe since his birth. On November 26, 2008, as the attacks began, she heard gunshots and locked herself in a laundry room. Later, she heard Rivka screaming "Sandra, help!" After emerging from the room, she found Gavriel and Rivka covered in blood and shot to death with Moshe crying beside his parents' bodies, his pants drenched in blood. Samuel said she grabbed Moshe and ran from the building.[3]
Although Samuel had no passport or papers, Moshe's granduncle, Rabbi Yitzchak Dovid Grossman, helped arrange for her to get a visa to come to Israel with Moshe to help him start his new life.[3]
Israel is considering conferring on her the title Righteous among the Nations, the highest Israeli award that may be presented to non-Jews. Sandra Samuel would be the first Indian to receive this award. This was articulated in these words by the Globe News Service of the Jewish People: "The ministry is considering granting her the title of "righteous gentile," Army Radio reported, allowing her to remain in Israel for an extended period of time."[2][1]
On December 4, 2008, Samuel gave an interview with CNN in which she stated that sees no heroism in her actions and that she wishes she could have been able to help more people. She also stated that she still has nightmares about the attacks. Currently, Samuel is living in Israel where she remains the caregiver for Moshe, who she says is learning to play again although he likes to have her close by. Samuel told an interviewer, "They said it is important I am here (in Israel). Me, I just take care of the baby." When asked about her plans for the future, Samuel said she would stay in Israel for as long as Moshe needs her.[4]
Notes
- ^ a b "Israel awaits Mumbai attack dead". BBC. 2008-12-01. Retrieved 2008-12-06.
- ^ a b "Chabad toddler's caretaker to arrive in Israel". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 2008-11-30. Retrieved 2008-12-05.
- ^ a b Young orphan of slain rabbi, wife arrives in Israel after Mumbai nightmare by Mark Lavie, Associated Press (reprinted by Maclean's Magazine), December 1, 2008.
- ^ In her own words, nanny's brave escape in Mumbai, CNN, December 4, 2008.
External links
- Real-life hero: When nanny turned saviour by Prerana Thakurdesai, NDTV.com, December 3, 2008.
- Sandra Samuel: A Heroine in Mumbai by Sara Esther Crispe, The Jewish Woman, December 1, 2008.
- Nanny credited with tot's daring rescue, CNN, December 2. 2008.
- Inside hero nanny's dash to save young boy during Mumbai massacre by Aimee Ginsburg, New York Daily News, December 5, 2008.
- 'I just grabbed the baby and ran,' says Mumbai Chabad employee, by Eli Ashkenazi, Haaretz, November 28, 2008.
- Hero nanny tells her story for 1st time, Jerusalem Post, December 5, 2008.