Ezra International - helping Jews in the former Soviet Union

Time is the Enemy

Anti-Jewish slogans and graffiti are now common throughout the former Soviet states. Public billboards calling for Russia to be cleansed of the Jews are seen in many cities. People have been beaten in their own apartments and some have even been killed for just being a Jew.

The greatest enemy is time. It is only a matter of time before the doors for immigration slam shut leaving these precious people's lives hanging in the balance. There is no time to waste. We must get them out now while we can!

Will you help us?

Today is my turn to make Aliyah

Rosa Grubman

My name is Rosa Grubman and I live in Kagul, Moldova. I was born in Moldova in 1922. I was born into a Jewish family during the Romanian occupation. My mother was a dressmaker and my father was a laborer. There were five children in our family. During WWII under the fascist occupiers we had been deprived of our house and forced to move in the mandatory evacuation. Our father perished during the war and mother was left to take care of five children on her own.

I had heard about immigration to Israel since I was a teenager, but being the oldest in my family I couldn’t even dare to dream about going to Israel. It was necessary for me to help my mother raise my brothers and sisters. When we returned from the evacuation I had a son of my own to care for as well.

During the Soviet period it was not possible to freely express our Jewish religion. It was almost impossible to find a job if you were a Jew, so I had to work as an unskilled laborer. When the Iron Curtain came down in 1991, we finally had an opportunity to repatriate to our historic homeland of Israel. Our son was the first to be able to leave.

It has always been our desire that our children and grandchildren would be free from anti-Semitism at home, in school, where they work and on the streets because of what our generation had gone through.

It was everyone’s belief that the Jewish people were always guilty of causing every problem of our society.

Today is my turn to make aliyah by the grace of God and despite my age, I am very happy to be able to see my children, sisters, grandchildren, nephews and my historical homeland of Israel. How can I and my family ever thank the kind people of Ezra International and all of the wonderful Christians who have made our new life in Israel possible. Thank you so much from the bottom of our hearts!!

Editors’ note: Since receiving this letter from Roza we are happy to report that she is now living with her family in Haifa and you made it possible!! Thank you on their behalf!