“It was around the time of the First World War,” said Miriam, “when a group of evil bandits came to town.”

  “Pogroms were quite common in Zaporozhe, Ukraine during those years. When they entered the synagogue, they found an old, pious-looking man deep in prayer. They grabbed him by his beard and dragged him through the streets of the town.” “Four days later, he died from the wounds. His family […]

“My mother was a traditional Jew,” said Natasha. “She’d fast on Yom Kippur, wouldn’t allow bread into our home on Passover, and would pray often.”

But as a young girl, tradition didn’t interest me. I loved music and dreamt of being a famous singer. I wanted to be part of the Soviet cultural scene. My mother tried discouraging me from leaving my roots behind, but I was determined.” “My dream became a reality, singing and […]

Meet Hershel.

My wife died this past September. We were married for 59 years. I survived three heart attacks, but losing Alla was unbearable. I laid my feet down, never intending to use them again. I had given up. Then one day a few teens from our community came knocking on my […]