Kindersley resident shares about her life in Europe and Israel
BY JOAN JANZEN
joanjanzen@yahoo.com
People from all over the globe call Canada their home, and Olga Bersotsky is one of those individuals. She and her husband and children reside in Kindersley.
Olga was born and raised in Moldova, a small country in Eastern Europe, bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine on the north, east and south. In August of 1991, Moldova became an independent state, cutting off ties from the USSR and communism.
“But people are still living with the idea of returning to life as it was in the 1980s,” Olga said, explaining the circumstances.
Three-quarters of the younger generation have moved to other countries, so there are fewer people to fight for independence. Many of the older generation are more comfortable affiliating with Russia. The residents of Moldova are paying inflated prices for commodities, with salaries that do not adequately pay the bills. Olga described her family in Moldova as middle class and listed agriculture as the country’s primary resource.
Several years ago, Moldova held an election. Many former residents of Moldova cast their vote. “A lot of younger people living outside of the country vote for independence, but as of now, the greater influence is by the people who live there, the older generation,” Olga said. Although the younger generation was hoping for different results, the election resulted in the same people being in power.
Olga experienced a radical change when she met and married her husband and moved to his place of residence in Israel in 2004. It was there that their children were born, and Olga learned to speak Hebrew.
“It’s a difficult language to learn,” she said. “Hebrew has a completely different alphabet and is read from right to left. But people in Israel are always helpful, correcting you when you make a mistake.”
While there, she worked in retail outlets, a jewelry store catered to tourists. Besides being well known for its advanced technology, Israel is famous for the cutting of diamonds.
“Israel is a religious country; they keep their traditions. They celebrate religious holidays, and even non-religious Jews are respectful of these holidays and traditions. “For example, on Independence Day, sirens go off throughout the entire country. “Everyone stops wherever they are and keeps a moment of silence.” Even traffic comes to a halt.
Every Friday evening, until six or seven o’clock Saturday evening, the residents honour the Sabbath; all shops close, and only emergency vehicles are allowed to travel.
Like all residents who grow up in Israel, Olga’s husband had taken three years of mandatory military training after completing high school. Two years of training complete girls’ training, while their male counterparts are members of the reserves until their mid-30’s. This means they complete a month of training each year. “Any time they are needed, they have an agreement with their employers so men in the reserves are available to help,” Olga said.
“Living in Israel is not anything like what people in Canada know about Israel. There is history everywhere. When you go to Jerusalem, you feel like you’re somehow closer to God. There are two sides to Israel; one is the Arab side, and the other is Israel. The media only discusses the Arab’s side. Israel starts none of the conflict, but the media always blames them. It’s not true, and it’s not right. They’re only defending themselves.”
Olga emphasized the importance of security in Israel. “There are military personnel everywhere, and any and every possible threat of danger is promptly addressed. For example, a forgotten backpack in a school playground is taken seriously. An emergency phone call and military personnel immediately appear to check for any possible threat of harm or danger.
In every apartment and building, there is a bomb shelter. Olga recalled an incident in 2014, just before they moved to Canada when rockets were shot from Egypt in the middle of the night. Sirens sounded, and the family had to run to the shelter.
Now Olga and her family call Kindersley home, but they still have family living in Moldova and Israel. Olga is grateful her brother-in-law can help her mother-in-law and father-in-law during the recent lock-down in Israel. She’s also excited because her parents have received their visas and will be coming to Canada soon. “I’m super excited about that!” Olga said.