Natalia Raitman
Kharkiv, Ukraine
Haifa, Israel
“Unfortunately, wars are something I know all too well.
I was born in Odessa in 1929, and when World War II broke out, the shock waves of the war reached us as well. In 1941, when German forces were very close to us, my parents, who had already heard what the Germans had done to Jews all across Europe, decided not to take any chances and that the whole family would flee to Siberia.
It was the first time in my life that I became a refugee. I still remember the lack of food, the hunger and the freezing cold of Siberia.
The second war in my life broke out two years ago, and I actually didn’t believe it would knock on my door. The war with Russia had been going on for ten years, but it was limited to southern and southeastern Ukraine, regions quite far from Kharkiv. For this reason, I did not believe that the war
would reach me, even though Kharkiv is only 30 kilometers from the Russian border.
I’ve endured a lot in my life, and war is not always a reason for me to leave home. However, when a bomb exploded in my backyard and killed many civilians, I knew it was time for me to go. My granddaughter, who lives in Israel, reached out to ‘Chabad House’, which arranged for me to take shelter in a synagogue in Kharkiv and from there, I was transported to the Moldovan border. After I cross the border, I managed to reach Israel by flight and reunite with my granddaughter.
How do I feel about being a refugee for the second time?
The truth is that I’m already 94 years old and I feel that I’ve lived a full and interesting life, so I fear less for my life. Life has taught me that we don’t really have control over it, but we can still choose how to respond to it. Embrace life with love and optimism, and you’ll be better equipped to handle life’s challenges.
Life has given me a lot of perspective.
I survived the Second World War,
I survived the war in Ukraine,
I will also survive the war in Israel.