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Case
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MIGRATION
Raisa, her daughter Svetlana, and her son-in-law Vladimir traveled to Moscow for the INS interview. They left their ten year old daughter, Tatyana, with her cousin in Moldova. The trip took thirty-six hours by train. The train fare from Kishinev to Moscow was almost three times the amount of Raisa's monthly pension and two times as much as Vladimir and Svetlana used to each earn at the factory. During the past six months they had not received any salary even though they continued to go to work. A home grown potato was often a full course meal. They had to sell belongings and depend on the help of Yelena in the U.S.A. to pay for the trip to Moscow. In Moscow they had an interview with an INS officer in the American Embassy. They spoke about the long history of anti-Semitism which they had endured. Raisa's father and brother had died from diseases related to starvation while living in a Jewish ghetto during World War II. She and her mother had escaped to Moldova from Leningrad. The factory in which Vladimir and Svetlana worked had graffiti on the brick wall saying "Kill the Jews." No one had attempted to remove it for over one year. Neither Vladimir nor Svetlana were able to advance in the factory because they were Jewish. Svetlana had hoped to go to college to study computer science, but only five percent of the entering class could be Jewish and she was not able to attend. Tatyana dreaded going to school because she was tormented by other students and the teacher did nothing to assist her. A bomb had gone off this year in the old abandoned synagogue in their village in Moldova. At the interview they showed a picture of the factory graffiti and a newspaper article about the bombing. They were approved for the U.S. refugee program at the interview.
In Moscow, INS referred the family to the International Office of Migration (IOM)/Migrant Processing Center (MPC). Here all travel arrangements, including IOM loans and baggage restrictions, were explained and medical referrals were arranged. They stayed at a friend's apartment for the two days until their medical appointments at the American hospital, SANA. It was a cold winter spell with temperature of -40° Celsius. Raisa was ill, anxious and tired. They had no spending money. They headed straight home when the appointments were completed.
Four months after returning to their home in Moldova, Svetlana gave birth to a healthy baby girl, Anna. They had borrowed money from Vladimir's brother and from friends in order to pay the doctor and nurse in the hospital. When Anna was one month old her father traveled for the second time to Moscow to bring Anna's birth certificate, photographs and INS paperwork in order to add the baby to the refugee case. The economy was so miserable in Raisa's village in Moldova that nobody was able to buy their belongings. Again they borrowed money from family and friends.
Two months later they received their travel packet from Washington Processing Center. Now they were ready to leave for their new home and country as soon as possible. They borrowed Vladimir's brother's car to travel one hundred miles to Kishinev, the capital of Moldova, to apply for exit passports at OVIR, the Moldovan department of visa and permission. Yelena, their sponsor in West Hartford, Connecticut, purchased their plane tickets for them. She was working at a law firm as a copy machine operator. The partners of the firm appreciated Yelena and her situation; and they had presented her with a gift of money to purchase the plane tickets.
Meanwhile back in the U.S.A., notification that refugee status was granted had been sent to HIAS and forwarded by HIAS to The Resettlement Program. The Resettlement Program coordinator met with Yelena, the state-side sponsor to discuss and review the preparations necessary to receive the family. Guidelines were given concerning the amount of rent that the family would be able to afford based on the amount of support first from the Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford and then from SSI for Raisa and finally from the state welfare program if Svetlana and Vladimir were not successful in obtaining work within four months. The sponsor was referred to the furniture donation program for assistance setting up the apartment. The amount of financial support from the Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford to reimburse the sponsor for initial set-up expenses was explained. Travel plans from Kennedy Airport to Hartford were discussed as were options for medical providers. Once the family obtained their tickets, the Resettlement Program coordinator arranged for a HIAS representative to greet the family in Kennedy Airport and to escort them through U.S. Customs and Public Health. She made arrangement to ensure the basic needs of food, clothing, shelter, and health care for the family's immediate resettlement. They included:
By the third day in the U.S.A., Yelena and her family had a two hour orientation with the Resettlement Program coordinator and the translator. Russian and English printed orientation packets introducing vital information for their immediate resettlement were presented and reviewed in detail. Topics included:
The family was exhausted! The adults had been unable to sleep through much of the ordeal of their final preparations to leave Moldova , family and friends and the long trip to the U.S.A. Tatyana seemed to enjoy picture books, paper and crayons, and the sound of English and friendly conversation during the orientation appointment. Anna slept through much of the long meeting. Raisa was moved to tears by the warm welcome and caring attention by the staff at The Resettlement Program. The family left with a clear understanding of the appointments necessary for the next week and an understanding that The Resettlement Program staff was committed to help them find their way in their new country. Introduction | Mission | Affiliates | Services | Case
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