Indian nanny of Jewish kid may get top Israeli honour

The Jewish couple were killed during the terror siege of Nariman House where they ran a cultural and outreach centre for the ultra-orthodox Chabad-Lubavitch movement.

Samuel, lauded a hero by the Chabad movement and Moshe’s family for saving the child, could be conferred the “Righteous Gentile” award that could facilitate her stay in Israel, media reports said.

The special honour is usually reserved for those who risked their lives to save Jews from the Holocaust. Samuel, 44, had worked at the Chabad centre for about five years and started caring for Moshe who had become “extremely connected to him”.

As terrorists stormed the Chabad centre last week, Samuel locked herself in a room with another staff member.

The following morning, she heard Moshe calling her name and went to look for him. She found Moshe, his pants covered in blood, crying beside his motionless parents.

The Indian nanny told reporters that she grabbed the child and ran outside. Terrorists continued the siege of Nariman House for the next two days, killing several hostages before being gunned down.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry is said to be considering granting Samuel the status of “Righteous Gentile”, BBC reported.

Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni also told the cabinet on Sunday that her Ministry was working to grant Samuel a residency permit so she could live in Israel.

Livni’s statement followed a request from Rabbi Yosef Yitzhak Aharonov, the chairman of Jewish sect Chabad Lubavitch, to clear the way for Samuel’s immigration.

An Interior Ministry spokeswoman told ‘The Jerusalem Post’ that no formal request had been made yet for her to receive either permanent or temporary residency in Israel.

However, Interior Minister Meir Sheetrit was willing to find a solution that would help her to stay here, at least for the short-term, she said.