81-Year Old's "Skillful Hands" Knits Protection for Children Against Harsh Winter

Life has come full circle for Galina, an 81-year-old woman who spends many of her days at the JDC-supported Jewish Community Center in Irkutsk, part of the Former Soviet Union. She is one of several people who volunteer their time in the Center’s "Skillful Hands" program, making arts and crafts for those less fortunate, including children in Siberia. Twice a year, Galina knits woolen socks for these young children, who live in a nearby orphanage, to help protect them against the harsh winters. Renewing her Jewish roots and honoring the traditions of her parents is part of a long and continuing journey for this former member of the secret Soviet military and the Young Communists Association. For Galina, it has been a gratifying journey, one filled with the joy and satisfaction that she gets from helping others.

This remarkable journey began just before her birth in 1922, in a small town near the Mongolian border of Russia. Galina’s father, a very holy and observant man, had been beaten and jailed by the Russian White Guard in a prison far from his family’s home. Galina’s mother, now in her ninth month of pregnancy with Galina, was forced to travel by train to the prison to ransom her husband’s release. Despite this harsh experience, Galina’s father remained close to his faith.

"After his prison experience, my father was not as observant as he used to be, but nonetheless practiced what he could. As a little girl, I remember my father praying and putting on tefillin. He observed Shabbat to the end of his days. When I was five, my parents and older brother traveled all the way to Manchuria just to buy matzah, leaving my older sister alone to care for me. We were so afraid for them – we waited by the window until they returned home. Somehow, we always got matzah for Passover."

During World War II, when food was in short supply, Galina remembered the efforts her parents made to get such things as flour to bake. "We saved all we could just to buy a small amount of flour to bake matzah at home in our Russian stove. Together with my sisters, aunt, and mother, we would roll out the dough."

In 1939, Galina’s family moved to Irkutsk where she became a member of the Young Communists Association, finding work in a secret military unit with the Soviet government. Because of her involvement with the government, Galina kept her religious activities to a minimum but still observed whenever she could. "Mother insisted that I not wash the floor on Saturday so I washed on Fridays. In 1946, when I decided to marry a childhood friend, my family insisted that it be in a synagogue. Imagine, a Komsomol married in a synagogue!"

Although she took a vacation so her colleagues would not find out, the change in her name led to the discovery of her marriage. Still, Galina managed to outfox the KGB about the synagogue ceremony. "No one discovered that it was in the synagogue on Marx Street – even the almighty KGB failed," Galina said with pride in her voice.

Today, the Jewish community in Irkutsk makes it easier for Galina to celebrate her connection to Judaism. She attends the social club at the JDC's Hesed Welfare Center, participating in community events and in the Hesed's ‘Warm Home’ program where she can meet and visit with friends. When she is in need of medical help, Hesed helps Galina with loans of medical equipment.

From her decision to marry under a Chuppah to her drive to help other Jews, Galina has continue this journey to renew her Jewish faith and her commitment to her community, particularly the children. "We bring not only mittens and stockings, but also the warmth of our hearts to help them survive the harsh Siberian winter."