I am 46 years old. I was born in Novosibirsk. By profession I am a sculptor (ceramics). There were some doubts concerning moving to Israel. The question which worried me most of all was if I would be able to do my favorite job in Israel. When I came to Israel I did not know the language at all. On arriving I first lived in kibbutz and then moved to Kfar-Saba, where I live now. I took the credit, rented a workshop and make my sculptures. The Israele buy them for decoration of their plots and flowerbeds. I have nothing to regret.

— from Borovichi, he made Aliyah in 2004. Now Ephim Geft lives in Tel Aviv. That is, what he tells about himself and his first days in Israel:

— All is wonderful! There was only one unexpected event on my arrival in Israel. There was a strike at the airport, and that's why there were certain difficulties. But this was just a trifle as compared with difficulties which I had to overcome back in Russia in attempts to get a permission for repatriation. The matter is that I was born before the war in Leningrad. And at a very young age I stayed alone as an orphan — my parents died in blockade. I was taken to an Orphanage. I was 4 years old then and could speak very badly. I didn't have any documents. In the orphanage I said my name and my surname. And my surname by birth was Gekht, but the Director of the Orphanage, who did not manage to hear me well, wrote down – Geft, that is why I am Geft now. I did not know my patronymic at all. Then director said: “I am Ivanovna and you will be Ivanovich.” Many years after the war I was found by my aunt, then I learned that actually I am Efim Isakovich Gekht. Later I managed to find my birth certificate in archives. I had to pass some courts to prove, that me is me. But even after that there were many questions in the Israel Embassy and in Sohnut concerning my personality and Jewish origin.

I have arrived in Israel with some knowledge of Hebrew, which I studied in Ulpan of the Jewish community in Borovichi. And I want to address all who doubt whether to Go to Israel: learn Hebrew! And when I am asked, how I have come to the decision to Go, I answer: I am a Jew and my native land is here, in Israel!

I am 22 years old. I am going to Israel in August 2004. I graduated from St.-Petersburg University and returned to my own town Borovichi. I was interested in Jewish life. In center “Aliyah” I have known about Israel, got the necessary consultations and concluded that I must go. On the question “why” I reply simply – I want. I am going to the center of absorption in Kvar-Saba.

I am 72 years old. In 2002 my daughter and my granddaughter with her husband went to Israel. In August 2004 my great grandson was born in Israel. He was named Ariel. They live in Petah-Tikva. For a long time I couldn’t decide whether to go or not to go, and now I have decided to go. I have a small pension, not enough to live on, not enough for medicine, and moreover all the privileges for pensioners the state is going to abolish. I have nothing to lose here. May be in Israel at my old age I can live like a human being.

— from Borovichi (the Novgorod region). The family came to Israel 2 years ago. They live in Maale-Adumim 15 km from Jerusalem. In the photo: the wife Ester and daughter Anna are standing, the wife’s sister Sonya, son Stas and the head of the family Anatoliy are sitting.

Anatoliy Finkelshtein:

— At the very start there was a language barrier: I was 60 years old, when we moved. I use this word – moved, because regularly in Summer we come to Borovichi to our Summer cottage. Yes, there was nostalgia, there was a fear about the difficulties. Now children learned Hebrew. My wife and her sister opened a private music school. The money for this business they collected, having arranged an outdoors theatre, where they showed different comic scenes from life. I am a pensioner, and I also work as a security guard at school. I go to a swimming pool. We and our son live in an apartment with three bedrooms. Sonya rents her own apartment. Recently we have taken a loan and have bought an apartment for our daughter. As tourists we visited Italy, France and Turkey. Now I feel a real Israeli.

I moved to Russia from Estonia. I worked as a mechanic on a trade vessel. In Estonia there were many problems with the language and with the citizenship. In Russia there are economic problems. Now I am a pensioner. While I still have strength, I am going to go to Israel.