Brave Nanny Explains How She Saved Tot in Mumbai

The Indian nanny who saved the toddler of a Brooklyn couple in Mumbai gives her first interview to the Daily News. During last week's terror attacks, Sandra Samuel says that little Moshe Holtzberg, just shy of his second birthday, was covered in blood and next to his mother's body when she found him.

The child's parents, Rabbi Gavriel and Rivka Holtzberg, ran the Chabad-Lubavitch Center, which was seized by terrorists on November 26. Samuel, who usually had Wednesdays off, had decided to stay work that day and ended up hiding out in the service kitchen for hours when the terrorists took over.

"At around 11 [on Thursday, November 27] morning, I suddenly heard the baby calling me," Samuel said. "He has a way of calling me, 'Sanda, Sanda, Sanda.' I told Zaki [the handyman] I was going up, and he said, 'No! it's a trap! They will kill you.' But I said to him, 'I don't care, I am going to get the baby.'

"Baby was standing next to his Ima [mother], who was laying on her side. His Aba, Rabbi, was laying next to her, on his stomach. Their eyes were closed, unconscious.

"Next to them, I saw the legs of a man out from under the table, with blood. Baby's pants also had a big circle of blood.

"The terrorists must have been upstairs. I grabbed the baby and I ran, then I got Zaki, and we ran out."

Moshe's parents were found dead after Indian commandoes regained control of the Chabad House. Samuel says that after rescuing the child, she told the police to check on the other hostages, but they ignored her. Now she regrets not doing more, "I should have gone in again. I should have tried to help them. I should have checked to see what's wrong. What kind of a person am I to have just run out?"

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By Jen Chung in News on December 5, 2008 10:17 AM

Comments [rss]

Aesshen

I feel like - I know the Lubavitchers would never ever do this - I feel like she should be the one to take care of him now that his parents are gone. She has demonstrated as much maternal love as his own mother could have. Look, adoptions don't have to occur between wealthy parents and disadvantaged children - I can't help but feel that there is no one in the world better equipped to be his mother now.

west side Michael

Lubavitch are quite wealthy,I hope they help her

she saved a baby,she is a hero.

The Edge

She's the closest he'll have to a mother for the rest of his life.

Either Israel or the US *SHOULD* do something for her although I'm wondering if, at the very least, that Chabad-Lubavitch organization will take care of her.

Rocknrope

Simply amazing story.

NannyState

Nannies rule!

gossipgirl

That is a Nanny Diary I would read.

Dirk

Hopefully that kid won't remember much about that day. That's a horrible thing to witness.

But kudos to the nanny. Would any of us be that brave under the circumstances?