My sister Polina Gedrich and me, Yakov Driz. Polina lives in Israel. This photo was taken near Polina's house during my trip to Israel in 1998. Polina is a pensioner. Her daughter and granddaughter are in Israel, too. Elena works and her granddaughter is finishing school.
My sister Polia moved to Israel. Unfortunately, I didn't dare to go. My wife isn't a Jew, and I was afraid that she would go through prejudiced attitudes in Israel like the ones I had experienced in the Soviet Union. I have been to Israel twice and I realized that I was wrong. But we are old people now, and it is too late to change our lives so dramatically. I liked Israel, our country. I admired the blooming Israel - the country where ancient history and modern life have entwined so organically. It's hard to imagine all the hard effort ir took to turn the desert into a blooming oasis. I respect and feel grateful to the people of Israel. I visited my sister Polia in Ber-Sheva. She and her family enjoy living in their new Motherland.