Mumbai: Nariman House to converted into living memorial for those who were killed in 26/11 terror attacks

Mumbai: The Chabad-Lubavitch center, popularly known as Nariman House, that was under siege during the 26/11 terror attacks, will be converted into a ‘living memorial’ dedicated to those killed in the carnage. The memorial, being set up by Jewish organisation Chabad-Lubavitch, will be formally announced at an event during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit, Rabbi Israel Kozlovsky, director of Nariman House, said.

He said the Chabad Trust is working on a detailed plan to raise funds for the memorial. “We are exploring all options to make the funds available for this memorial. After all, it will reflect the spirit of Mumbai and India, which has successfully fought terror on many occasions,” Kozlovsky said. The memorial will include the apartment where the Holtzbergs lived, as well as the sites where the killings happened. The terrace of the Nariman House will be turned into a garden where names of all the victims will be engraved.

“The memorial will also include the apartment on the fifth floor where Rabbi Gavriel and his wife used to reside with baby Moshe who was barely two years old then. He will be arriving at the Nariman House on January 18,” he said. Moshe Holtzberg, now aged 11, is a survivor of the November 2008 terrorist attacks that killed his parents and seven others at Chabad House. His parents, Rabbi Gavriel and Rivka Holtzberg, were directors of the Jewish center when the terrorists killed them. Moshe currently lives with his grandparents, Rabbi Shimon and Yehudit Rosenberg in Afula. Moshe was two years old while the Nariman House was under siege and was rescued by his nanny.

Israeli PM Netanyahu in Mumbai on Jan 18

The visit of Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu to Mumbai includes a business summit in the morning on January 18, at Hotel Taj Mahal.  Netanyahu is expected to lay a wreath at the 26/11 memorial at e hotel. After this, he is expected to visit Nariman House, where the Chhabad House is located. This is expected to be the highlight of the visit, as Moshe Holtzberg family will visit Nariman House for the first time since the tragedy struck the family more than nine years ago.  The Israeli PM will meet members of the Jewish community, interact with Bollywood celebrities in the evening.