Alla- “I am no longer 18, and we will not continue to move from country to country.”

“My name is Alla, I am 71 years old, and we repatriated to Israel a year ago. I was born in Russia, in the city of Leningrad, which I still proudly call by its original name, despite the official name change. My father, a defender of Leningrad during the war, instilled in me a deep connection to this city. When I got married, we moved to the town of Fryazino near Moscow because of work, and that’s where my two sons were born. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, my husband received a job offer in South Korea. We decided to take on this adventure, moved there, and lived there for 17 years. This period was a significant chapter in our lives, full of new cultural experiences and the warmth of the Korean people, who were always smiling and ready to help. When my husband’s health began to deteriorate, we returned to Russia and eventually followed our son who had moved to Israel earlier. Arriving in Israel marked a new beginning.”

“When the mobilization was announced in Russia, my son left immediately. He had three months left until the end of the conscription age. His wife and children joined him. One day, my son from Israel called and said, ‘Stop hesitating, I bought plane tickets for you for next week. Start packing!’ I had to gather all the documents, and everything was in chaos, and I remember nothing…”

“We immediately understood that we had arrived in a strong country with welcoming and generous people. We didn’t need to compare; we can confidently and responsibly say that our lives here are better and easier than in our distant, difficult, and incomprehensible homeland. The longer we live here, the more we feel that this is our home…”

“As soon as we arrived, my husband needed urgent heart surgery, and we were without citizenship, documents, or money… We managed to get organized, and the surgery was successful. They saved my husband’s life, and we are grateful to Israel…”