JUNE 2 • 2022 | 17
Federation’s director, who
said that if at least one per-
son from Mariupol could get
through to us, we could send
a bus to pick that person up.
Getting involved with this
cause has allowed me to find
strength in myself to help
those who need it most. It’s
not always possible to help
everyone, but if you can help
one person, I believe the
world becomes a better place.
HUMANITY AT ITS
GREATEST
It’s been two months since I
learned what it’s like to leave
your home, lose all your
goals and dreams, and part
with your loved ones and
friends. I constantly draw
parallels in my head to the
stories of my grandparents
with renewed vigor. In these
stories, I find my present self.
Previously, I never under-
stood. Now, when my grand-
parents are no longer around,
I am able to feel their stories
inside of me, where they con-
tinue to live.
If I ever get to tell my story
to my children or grandchil-
dren, I will tell them that war
is not just a fate in life that
a person experiences. It’s a
huge loss, especially a human
loss. Behind every story told
about war is a mass of desti-
nies that are all intertwined
and imprinted in history.
I will tell them that war is
scary and painful, that it is
the unknown, but that it is
also something in which you
begin to appreciate seemingly
simple things.
In war, you appreciate
being able to hear the birds
singing, not the sound of
artillery or missiles flying by.
You enjoy the opportunity
to sleep, at home, in bed and
in silence. You are thankful
for light, heat and water.
You appreciate the life of
every person that is next to
you, really appreciate it. I
will tell my descendants that
evacuation is when you gather
your essentials in a hurry
and run away to the sounds
of shelling of your home and
city, when you can’t stop the
flow of tears. Every day, you
dream of your old life.
Yet, on the other side of a
complex web of emotions,
it’s not about losses. Instead,
it’s about what you gain.
The evacuation, no matter
how painful it is, shows the
support of people you don’t
know. There is solidarity
and mutual assistance. This
is humanity at its greatest,
which in peacetime is often
invisible. Now, it shines with
great strength.
I understand what my
grandparents were trying
to say when they said that
the most powerful memory
about evacuation is the
kindness of people. It’s not
about being alone. Strangers
help you find a new home,
provide you with food and
medicine. You are constantly
taken care of. They are ready
to support you for as long
as you need. I felt this same
feeling myself. The kindness
of people gave me back my
strength. It multiplied my
desire to survive in order to
become a beacon of strength
for other people.
However, I hope that my
stories will remain that way
for my descendants: just
stories. That these terrible
words will never take on
a real form for them. If
they’re asked the question,
“What is your mother or
grandmother’s strongest
memory of the war?” I
want them to answer, “The
kindness of people.” After all,
despite the fact that my heart
is torn to pieces, it is held
together by a large number of
hands from different parts of
our big world.
Check out our ad
in the back of this
JN for a new client
special offer!
JN 1/8 page
Weekly
Headlines
Delivered
to Your Inbox.
thejewishnews.com/newsletter