Selected text
For some time my husband and I were thinking of emigrating to Israel.
We knew very little of Israel then and were afraid to quit everything here
and find ourselves in a strange and unknown country. We thought we would
never again be able to return here and see our near and dear, for everyone
who left could not even keep up a correspondence with us because of our
fear of the authorities. Such correspondence was always checked by the
Security Service and it was dangerous; people could even be fired from work
for it. We also understood that it would be hard for us to learn a new
language and find a job. At that time those who were emigrating were held
up to shame. Then we decided that since we were alone, with no children, we
could stay here; and so we stayed.
We knew very little of Israel then and were afraid to quit everything here
and find ourselves in a strange and unknown country. We thought we would
never again be able to return here and see our near and dear, for everyone
who left could not even keep up a correspondence with us because of our
fear of the authorities. Such correspondence was always checked by the
Security Service and it was dangerous; people could even be fired from work
for it. We also understood that it would be hard for us to learn a new
language and find a job. At that time those who were emigrating were held
up to shame. Then we decided that since we were alone, with no children, we
could stay here; and so we stayed.
Period
Location
Ukraine
Interview
Emilia Kushnir