A Life of Courage

IFCJ Canada  |  January 29, 2026

Raisa is an 89-year-old Holocaust survivor, living with her 95-year-old husband, Semion, in a small one-bedroom apartment. In 1990, they made aliyah (immigration to Israel) from Kyiv, Ukraine, leaving behind Raisa’s sister.

She was just six when World War II began. Her father, a sailor, managed to get Raisa, her mother, and her infant sister onto a ferry to escape the advancing danger.

She remembers the wooden planks under her feet, the sea below, and the earth shaking from nearby explosions. Her mother held Raisa’s one-month-old sister, with no milk to feed her, and Raisa feared the baby might fall into the water.

With her father serving in the army, their journey to safety was long and uncertain.

Before leaving Ukraine, Raisa faced harsh anti-Semitism. She recalls one woman saying, “If it were up to me, I’d put all the Jews who want to make aliyah on a ship and set it on fire.”

That hatred left a lasting impression. “In every generation,” Raisa says, “when something goes wrong in the world, Jews are the first to be blamed. It’s happening again today.”

Despite it all, Raisa holds onto faith and compassion. “I believe in God, and I love people — whether they are Jews, Christians, or Muslims — as long as they are faithful and kind,” she says. “I feel the support of millions of Christians, and I thank all of them for caring about me. I’m just one old woman, but I feel the love and care.”

From war-torn childhood to a life of faith and courage, Raisa has endured so much. You can help ensure her story, and others like her, continues with comfort and care.