Mumbai attacks: Jewish boy's nanny to leave for Israel

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December 01, 2008 18:04 IST

The Indian nanny, who saved the two-year-old son of a Jewish rabbi slain in the Mumbai terror strike along with his wife, may get a residency permit to live in Israel which has decided to view the attack on Nariman House as an "enemy action" against this country.

Foreign Minister Tzipi Livnitold told the Israeli Cabinet on Sunday that her ministry is working to bring Sandra Samuel to Israel. The toddler's parents -- Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg and Rivika -- serving at the Chabad House or Nariman House in Mumbai as the emissaries of the Chabad movement were killed in the audacious attack.

Chairman of the religious movement Rabbi Yosef Yitzhak Aharonov has requested the Israeli government to allow the Indian caretaker to immigrate.

Sandra grabbed the toddler, who turned two on Saturday, as terrorists stormed the ultra-Orthodox centre and escaped with him in her arms.

"I've spoken to the people in India. We've asked them to arrange the visa. The request has also come from the emissary's (Holtzberg) parents. At this point she's the only one the boy is responding to," Aharonov told news portal Ynet.

In the evening his mother always puts him to sleep and now he doesn't understand what's going on," Samuel earlier told Israeli media.

Taking a serious view the terror strikes on the Jewish establishment in Mumbai, the defence ministry said viewing the terror attack as an enemy action against Israel will entitle the families of the victimsof Nariman House the same financial benefits that are granted to victims of terror attacks in this country.

Eight Israelis have been identified among the dead in last week's terror attacks in Mumbai, which claimed around 200 lives.

A seven-member team of Israel police's victim identification unit left for India on Sunday to assist in locating and identifying two missing Israelis, who have not reported in yet.

Of the four Israelis that the foreign ministry's situation room listed as being out of contact, two reported in on Sunday.

"We must search for them (the other two) among the casualties of the various attacks," said Chief Superintendent Itzik Coronio, who is heading the delegation which also include two high ranking anti-terror experts.

"All the bodies have been evacuated to a few central locations, and that is where we expect to focus our work," Coronio added.

The team has prepared "identification kits" containing identifying details of each of the missing Israelis obtained from their families and Israel Defense Forces records. These details include fingerprints, dental records and DNA samples.

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