4-year-old who lost parents in Mumbai attack dies of long-term illness

[Behind the Aegis]

Source: Ha'aretz

Another tragedy befell the family of Mumbai attack victims Rabbi Gavriel and Rivka Holtzberg on Tuesday, as long-term illness claimed the life of the couple's 4-year-old son.

Dov Holtzberg, the brother of Moshe who was saved from the terrorist attack in Mumbai last month by his Indian nanny, had been struggling with a genetic illness since birth.

Over the past few years, while his parents and younger brother resided in the Chabad House in Mumbai, Dov had been hospitalized at a nursing institution in Israel under the care of his grandparents.

His body will be laid to rest later on Tuesday in Jerusalem, next to his parents and his older brother Menachem, who died from the same genetic illness.

Moshe is the only Holzberg son not to be born with the illness.
He currently lives with his grandparents in Afula, along with Sandra Samuel, the Indian nanny who saved his life by rescuing him from the besieged Chabad House in Mumbai.


Read more: http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1051236.html

[Lost River Ledger]

1. Kaddish

Yis'ga'dal v'yis'kadash sh'may ra'bbo, b'olmo dee'vro chir'usay v'yamlich malchu'say, b'chayaychon uv'yomay'chon uv'chayay d'chol bais Yisroel, ba'agolo u'viz'man koriv; v'imru Omein.

Y'hay shmay rabbo m'vorach l'olam ul'olmay olmayo.

Yisborach v'yishtabach v'yispoar v'yisromam v'yismasay, v'yishador v'yis'aleh v'yisalal, shmay d'kudsho, brich hu, l'aylo min kl birchoso v'sheeroso, tush'bechoso v'nechemoso, da,ameeran b'olmo; vimru Omein.

Y'hay shlomo rabbo min sh'mayo, v'chayim alaynu v'al kol Yisroel; v'imru Omein.

Oseh sholom bimromov, hu ya'aseh sholom olaynu, v'al kol yisroel; vimru Omein.

[Behind the Aegis]

2. Amen.

[KareBear]

11. Amen

Burach Dayan Emet
Amen

[dynasaw]

3. What is this Disease?

[Manifestor_of_Light]

5. Tay Sachs possibly?

[Marrah_G]

7. I lost my nephew to that. He was 4 also.

I think it is possibly the worst illness a human child can have.

They can't move, speak, hear, see....nothing.

Just constant, unending pain. And seizures.

It was torture on his parents and sister.

When he passed on it was a relief to see him finally not in pain.

Probably one of the few cases ever where neither parent was of known Jewish history.

[LiberalEsto]

8. Were they from Canada?

I believe there is a small population in Nova Scotia that also carries the gene.

I'm so sorry about your nephew.

[Marrah_G]

9. No

They were from Rhode Island. She was of latin decent and he was of French Canadian/German decent... I think. You have to have both parents with the recessive gene.

It was a rare and odd case and a life changing experience for everyone connected.

[LisaL]

13. The parents would have both be carriers for the child to have

the disease. There is no treatment but the screening of parents apparently worked very well to reduce the number of children born with it. Of course if parents have no idea they could be carriers then they won't be screened for it.

[Ocracoker16]

10. Sorry to Hear That

It is a terrible illness. There is no cure and there aren't any approved treatments for it. The rarity of it makes it less of a priority to researchers. It is mostly a disease that affects Ashkinazi Jews, but there are a few other isolated populations that are affected by it. It must be very difficult for families to watch the deterioration of their child's condition knowing that it only gets worse.

[GCP]

4. How very sad

Condolences to all concerned.

[LeftishBrit]

6. That is terrible.

I did not know that the family had this other tragedy in their lives.

Best wishes to little Moshe. May the rest of his life be better than its beginning.

[DemoTex]

12. "Kindertotenlieder and Actus Tragicus" .. the saddest songs in the world (Mahler & Bach)

Mahler's Kindertotenlieder: Songs for Dead Children:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqTyEKB64EE

Bach's Actus Tragicus:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJ0VTKno-vg