Sandra Samuel: The Woman Who Saved the Worldby Miriam Metzinger | More from this Blogger 05 Dec 2008 04:10 AM Those who followed the news story about the Mumbai attacks which destroyed scores of lives may recall an unforgettable image of an Indian woman with a two year old boy in her arms. The boy was Moshe Holtzberg, the son of Chabad emissaries Rivka and Gabi Holtzberg who were brutally murdered in the terrorist attack. At first, it was falsely reported that the terrorist released the child and her nanny. This news gave me false hope for the release of the others as I was following the story. The tragic truth is that the terrorists turned out to be as brutal as expected (one Indian doctor said the marks of torture on the Jewish corpses were so horrific, they beggared description and he refused to discuss what he saw), and they did not release the child; Sandra grabbed the child from the depths of evil and risked her life to save little Moshe Holtzberg. Our sages write: To save one life is to save the world, and if that is the case, Sandra saved the world. Amid the hellish images of the 3-day siege, Sandra gave us all hope that there was still goodness and kindness, and acts such as these will bring Redemption to humankind. Some babysitters think of their work as just another job. Sure, they like kids, but they feel they might as well be doing something else. Sandra hid in the closet the entire night, but when she heard little Moshe call her name and she noticed he was standing beside his mother and father's blood-soaked corpses, wondering why they couldn't answer his cries, Sandra grabbed the child and ran. The fact she escaped the house was a miracle. And the moment after she left, she heard explosions and grenades firing off. I heard Sandra interviewed on CNN. Not only did she take no credit for her heroic act, but like Oscar Schindler, who saved many Jews in the Holocaust, she expressed regret that she could not have saved them all. She says she still has nightmares about spending the night in the closet, not being able to help anyone. As the world seems more filled with darkness, we can become inspired by looking at the examples of Rivka and Gabi Holtzberg of blessed memory, who opened their homes to bring light into a dark world. And we can also become inspired by acts of kindness and self sacrifice such as the rescue of Moshe by Sandra. As the Lubavitcher Rebbe has said, acts of kindness will bring the Redemption of mankind. Learn more about Miriam Metzinger  Miriam is a freelance writer, a work-at-home mom and lives in Jerusalem with her two sons, Schneur Zalman (3), Yosef Yitzchak (6 months and counting) and her husband, Yehoshua, who is a rabbi and i... Relevantjewish tags User Comments Rosusa (6) 08 Dec 2008 10:40 AMI hope that Sandra gets to stay in Israel with Moshe, she is truly a wonderful woman, no one would have blamed her if she had fled the building and not gone looking for Moshe, but she cared enough for the child to risk her own life in finding him, she is truly a good woman. Discuss this article
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