David Harris
Voices from Absorption Centers: Meet Natalia
Dr. Natalia Virotilina and her family made aliyah from Ukraine in July 2015. This is her story, told by her. But this is also your story, since your dollars (invested in the Jewish Federation, which invests in the Jewish Agency for Israel), helped change her life.—Danielle
In our hometown of Lugansk, I worked as a cardiologist for 11 years. My husband, Roman, was a police officer, and my daughter, Daria, is in 8th grade. We owned an apartment and a car, and Daria was in the best school.
When the war started, everything changed. We lost water and electricity. I commuted to work under shelling. I sent Daria to live with my parents in a safer area. Later, her school was completely destroyed.
The city was a gaping maw of destruction, with no utilities, all public institutions closed— the city was under curfew from early evening hours, and the streets were full of soldiers. The hospital where I worked became a military hospital, and my department was closed.
I felt strengthened when I found the address of The Jewish Agency in Charkov. They said as new immigrants we could get temporary housing in Israel, and they had a program to help me get the Israeli license to practice medicine.
We now live in the Absorption Center in Ashdod.
I’ve finished the basic Hebrew ulpan and am in a course on medical terminology, ahead of a preparation course for the Health Ministry’s licensing exam. Roman is almost done with ulpan, and has met with a Jewish Agency employment counselor about looking for a job. Daria is in boarding school, and she’s happy with her new friends and her classes.
I feel like I’ve been born anew. Our family feels good, and safe, and happy to be in Israel, and we are happy with our decision to come to this Absorption Center. I hope to succeed in my studies and my career, in Israel.
The Jewish Federation is working to enable meaningful Jewish lives for Natalia and countless others through programs and institutions such as The Jewish Agency For Israel’s absorption centers. Thanks to your contributions to the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati, more people like Natalia can live safe and stable Jewish lives.
