Israel Stories: A light from the darkness of Mumbai

"Let us deal wisely with these people" Pharaoh said, as they cast all the baby boys into the river committing mass murder. But the parents of a little baby boy hid him, only for him to be saved by the kindness of an Egyptian Princess who named him Moshe.

Every time I close my eyes I see that little orange ball. I see his messy blond hair and the sad eyes of a baby boy who has witnessed terror beyond belief. I read all the papers, listened to the news and tried to find some light in the darkness but all I saw were the sad eyes and the orange ball.

On that day the world briefly acknowledged one fact. The terrorists went out of their way to seek out Jews and kill them. The more cynical among us will also claim that the boy makes great news. This is not another Mumbai / Islamic Terror article.

This is about the light at the end of the tunnel. I have a friend who lost a daughter to cancer when she was very young. With incredible strength he acknowledged that even though her life was very short she was a vibrant little girl who gave so much to the community, bringing people together through learning Torah and the chanting of Tehillim (Pslams) on her behalf. People united, returned to the fold and became connected through this little girl. Maybe that was her mission in life, to unify a fractured nation and to bring mutual respect and a common cause.

Little Moshe Holtzberg's parents achieved the same. The light from the darkness of Mumbai is staggeringly bright, almost blinding. The incredible work that Chabad do throughout the world, the selfless dedication, being torn from their land, from their birthplace and from their families to a far flung country on the off chance that a fellow Jew will have a roof, a safe haven, a hot meal, a familiar atmosphere and a reminder of his own roots.

Their mission in life will be remembered as one of strength and self sacrifice, an inspiration to us all. A lesson in accepting your fellow Jew regardless, with no exceptions, no discrimination; black Jew, white Jew, Sephardi, Ashkenazi and secular or religious. The light will shine brighter because of a Jewish family on the other side of the world who showed so much love and devotion and we are all the better for it. Their loss together with their fellow Jews was tragic, horrific, and unbearably sad but their legacy will remain in our hearts and souls lighting the dark days in which we live.

And who knows, maybe Moshe, with his orange ball, like his namesake, will see the suffering of his people and rise to the challenge, as his parents did, leading our nation into an age devoid of the evils we face today. As the prophet Zachariah says "And the LORD said unto Satan: 'The LORD rebuke thee, O Satan, yea, the LORD that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee; is not this man a brand plucked out of the fire?'"

We mourn your parents Moshe, but we celebrate their legacy and wish you a life of happiness, health and the opportunity to walk in their footsteps, lighting the way for your people.