CNN iReport CNN iReport

One Year Later, Mumbai Chabad House Survivor Turns Three

November 19, 2009 | Israel | Vetting explained

Click to view chabad's profile Posted by:
chabad

  • Viewed 12 times
 
iReport —

(lubavitch.com) Moshe Zvi Holtzberg  entered the party tent in Kfar Chabad, Israel, escorted by his two grandmothers and his nursemaid Sandra Samuel.  Although the evening's emcee had warned the large audience that a three-year old might easily be crowd-shy, he smiled as he climbed up on a Victorian couch to get his first haircut.

 

Moshe's grandfathers Nachman Holtzberg and Shimon Rosenberg each cut a curl from Moshe's shoulder-length auburn hair, followed by a line-up of distinguished Israeli Rabbis and public figures. The three-year old boy stood quietly, accepting miniature chocolate bars from the bearded rabbis as they snipped his locks. At last, when Grandfather Holtzberg swept him into his arms, he laughed.

 

Conspicuously absent from the celebration were Moshe's late parents, Rivkah and Gavriel Holtzberg. Terrorists murdered them one year earlier in Mumbai, India where they were serving as outreach emissaries of the Chabad movement.  Samuel rescued Moshe, extricating him from the community center attacked by the terrorists.

 

"Memorial ceremonies are usually thought to elevate the souls of the departed," said Moshe's great uncle, Rabbi Yitzhak Grossman who heads the Midgal Ohr network of educational Institutions, "But Rivkah and Gavriel have elevated our souls tonight."


Comments

Log in to comment

iReport welcomes a lively discussion, so comments on iReports are not pre-screened before they post. See the iReport community guidelines for details about content that is not welcome on iReport.

What is iReport?

  • Share

    Tell a story, offer an opinion, say what's important to you.

  • Discuss

    Join the conversation on the day's big issues.

  • Be heard

    The best iReports get vetted and used on CNN platforms.

iReport is a user-generated section of CNN.com. The stories here come from users. CNN has vetted only the stories marked with the "CNN" badge. MORE...