Ksenia Kozhevina
Ukraine, Kyiv
Israel, Kiryat Yam
“When the war broke out, we didn’t think it would last that long. We thought it would last two to three months, but certainly not more than two years. In the early months of the conflict, my mother’s health began to deteriorate, and I quickly realized that if we stayed in Ukraine, we wouldn’t be able to provide her with the necessary medical care. She could potentially die as a result. I found myself in the difficult position of having to decide whether to split my family to ensure her well-being.
My husband, Dimitriy, had already enlisted in the Ukrainian army and was fighting against the Russians. Deciding to leave Ukraine with the children meant leaving him behind, a choice that was one of the hardest I’ve ever had to make. Ultimately, we had to split the family. I left with the children and my mother and came to Israel.
Before I met Dimitriy, I prayed to God to send me the best man possible, and He answered that prayer. We met at a New Year’s Eve party in Kyiv twelve years ago, and I am so grateful that God brought him into my life. We started a family, had two children, and lived happily together until the war broke out. When I left Ukraine, I prayed to God to keep us together despite the great distance. Many couples have been separated by the war, and some have even divorced as a result, but fortunately, our bond has only grown stronger. I really hope that we will be able to sustain our relationship in the future as well.
When the war in Israel broke out, I became depressed.
How could it be that two years after experiencing one war, I was now caught in another? My husband wanted us to return to Ukraine, believing that Kyiv was safer than Israel. I had to convince both myself and him that Kiryat Yam was actually much safer and that staying in Israel was the better choice.
War places you in impossible situations, making it difficult to know which decision is right. Yet, I believe that every choice we make in life is ultimately for our best, even if we don’t always see or understand it in real time.”