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Terror in Mumbai
Israeli survivors: We used our cell phones to keep in touch with each other
By Noah Kosharek, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: Mumbai Chabad, India 

When Yossi Weingarten and Ephraim Zamir came to the Trident-Oberoi Hotel in Mumbai for a business trip, they didn't think they'd find themselves in the heart of a terror attack that shocked the world.

The two middle-aged businessmen described how they holed up in two separate hotel rooms for 36 hours, staying in contact with each other by way of their cellular phones. Both men said they tried to stay optimistic and calm during their ordeal.

"We were in the Trident when they blew up the car bomb between the Oberoi and our hotel, and the entire lobby exploded," Zamir said.
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Weingarten said, "we heard a ton of explosions and I saw flames up to the 19th story."

Zamir said that both men locked their doors with chains and barricaded them with furniture. Weingarten said he managed to get by with some Kosher food he brought with him, while Zamir subsisted on some fruit, cookies, and nuts that were in the room.

Bboth mourned the news of the tragedy at the Chabad house, where at least nine hostages were killed. "We knew the people there, they were pure gold."

For Weingarten, the terror attacks left lingering fears even after the rescue. "Someone sneezed next to me on the plane and I jumped. When I close my eyes I see the flames. When we were released we saw that everything was blown apart, we saw tons of blood puddles."

Weingarten's relatives say they feared for his life, and thank God their ordeal ended the way it did.

Weingarten expressed his gratitude to the Indian soldiers who saved his life.

"Thank God that we made it home, and thanks to the Indian commandos."

When they made it to Ben-Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv, Zamir was unable to stop the tears from falling. "Even the strong break down," he said.

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