Lora Yagudin

“I came to Israel alone at the age of 14 on the Jewish Agency’s Na’aleh program for high school youth. I wasn’t nervous or worried because I knew that I was coming to the Jewish state and that I would be taken care of. During the recent war I wasn’t called up, but I offered to do reserve duty to protect my country.”

Lora Yagudin (24) grew up in the town of Sochi, situated on the Black Sea in southern Russia. Both of her parents are Jewish, however her maternal grandfather was jailed because he was Jewish. As a result, Lora’s grandmother burned all of their documents, including her mother’s birth certificate.

When the Jewish Agency for Israel opened their offices in Sochi,Lora’s parents went there to get matzah and wine for Passover and heard about the Na’aleh program for Jewish youth from the FSU. Lora’s parents felt that she would have better educational opportunities in Israel, and together with Lora they decided she would begin her high school studies in Israel. “This was my parent’s investment in my future, and now I can appreciate the tremendous sacrifice they made, although they missed me terribly.”

Lora completed her high school matriculation at Kibbutz Gan Shmuel. This was followed by her army service in the Air Force Security Department. As a lone soldier, Lora continued living on the Kibbutz, which became her second home.

Following her discharge from the army, Lora studied at the University of Haifa, where she received a Jewish Agency supported Student Authority Scholarship. She lived at the Jewish Agency Aba Houshi Student Absorption Center with other students from all over the world.

Lora is now studying for her MA in urban planning and architecture at the prestigious Technion – Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa. During the war she remained at Aba Houshi, although Katyusha rockets fell very close. “Who ever thought that Haifa, in the heart of Israel, would be under attack,” says Lora. “At first I was afraid to go to sleep at night because I thought I wouldn’t hear the sirens. I spent many nights sleeping in the bomb shelter.”

“In spite of the war, there was a special atmosphere at Aba Houshi. We were mostly all students with no family in Israel and nowhere to go. The Jewish Agency counselors were with us and we all assisted the new Ethiopian students who had just arrived to Israel. We were like one big family.”

Irina Merzlykh: “I grew up as a proud Russian in Moscow, entrenched in Russian culture. When I was fifteen, my parents told me that they were sending me to a Jewish Agency summer camp. Only then did I learn that I was Jewish. I was devastated. But I went to the camp and it changed my life.”          When Irina Merzlykh’s parents closed the door to the living room and told her that they had something important to tell her, Irina thought she was in trouble. To her astonishment, they told her that she was Jewish and they were sending her to a Jewish Agency summer camp in Budapest. Irina cried and refused to go but in the end, it was a turning point in her life. ”The camp was amazing. The counselors really made us look deep inside ourselves and understand what it meant to be a Jew. During one activity, we had to draw a picture of a Jewish person. Everyone drew men with sidelocks, yarmulkes and black hats. Then the counselor said, ‘look around, do you see anyone like that here?’ Something opened inside of me and I began embracing my Jewish identity.”Irina returned to Moscow and became involved in the Jewish Agency’s youth club. Her interest in learning Jewish texts took her to Sweden, where she studied Talmud, and inspired her to start a short-lived women’s study group in Moscow.In 2001, Irina visited to Israel on a birthright israel trip and fell in love with the country.  After the ten-day trip ended, she vowed to return. Irina chose to return to Israel and signed up for the Kibbutz Movement’s Bina program, a secular organization that promotes Jewish studies.  The program is part of the Jewish Agency’s MASA/Israel Journey initiative; the gateway to over 100 unique long term programs in Israel. For ten-months Irina is living in Tel Aviv and volunteering with children and youth. She teaches them English and spends time with them, playing, learning and listening. Upon completing the program, Irina plans to return to Moscow and continue her work as Hillel project coordinator. “Young Russian Jews are too busy to spend time learning about their Jewish heritage. I want to find ways to reach out to them so they will want to become part of the Jewish community.”