Five Generations

It occurred to me the other day that my children are the fifth generation since my great grandparents that are living openly and expressing their Jewish faith and traditions.  My mom is writing her memoirs, our relatives suffered greatly in the World Wars, the Holocaust, and Communism.  My parents came to this country to give us a chance to get to know our Judaism again, God Bless Them, they knew they were Jewish by nationality, but had no knowledge of rituals, traditions, and prayers.  The wonderful American Jews that helped Soviet Jewry encouraged my parents to send us to a Jewish school, because otherwise they told them we would not get a Jewish education.  Today in my 5 year olds classroom he is learning to read and write Hebrew.

I was named after my father's grandmother, Yehudit, they couldn't name me a Jewish name in Moscow, Russia in 1972, so Yulia was the closest Russian equivalent.  She was observant, kosher, and the wise woman in her community.  Her daughter Zina, my father's mother, my grandmother, who my Ziona Sofia is named after was not able to keep the traditions, and my parents had nobody to teach it to them.  I went to my Jewish school, Hillel Academy in Denver, Colorado for 8 years, and when I married my husband, the observant life felt farmiliar, comfortable, like coming home.  Now my children only know the Jewish life, they love Shabbat, they had so much fun over Chanukah, and I am grateful they know their roots, culture, and traditions.

1. Yehudit my great grandmother
2. Zina my grandmother
3. Peter my father
4. Yulia
5. Eli Tzvi, Ziona Sofia, and Matisyahu are carrying the torch, shining bright, standing tall and proud.

Thank God,
Coach Yulia