My great-grandmother grew up in early-twentieth century Ukraine, in the shtetl (village) of Berezdov, where antisemitic violence was common. As a young teenager, she and her younger sister made a dangerous journey through Eastern Europe by themselves, eventually emigrating to the United States. The history of pre-World War II antisemitism, and the stories of early Jewish refugees are rarely discussed. Like many descendants of immigrants, I was told fragments of Yocheved’s life by various relatives. For this project, I am using original documents, first-hand accounts, and genealogical research to tell her story on paper, for the first time. If you have not read the previous installments in her story, you can read them here.
