Ana Sazonov: MA/MBA student. Prier an Israel Fellow to Emory Hillel
Hornstein Program at Brandeis university
In the lecture "Chiburashka to Kishkashta," I give a quick cover of the history of the Jews in different periods: Russian empire, Soviet Union, Iron Curtain, and after. In the lecture, I share my inspiring personal story. This story allows examining the complexity and conflicts of being a Jew in the Soviet Union, immigrating to Israel and the struggle to fit in the new Jewish country and society, and exploring identity questions after being raised with a Ukrainian identity and discovering Jewish heritage
Themes and activities:
"Cheburashka to Kishkashta" – Those are the names of two famous cartoons; one from the Soviet Union and one from Israel. This lecture is about the history of Russian Jews and Ana's inspiring personal story.
"Mi Ani Ma ani" (who am I, what am I) – Identity workshop, that helps people to question and explore their own identity and about the moemnt in history where the whole American Jewry united for one cause, It gives them a sense of unity and a desire to explore more opportunities for them to unite.
"Cooking like Babushka" – A cooking class that allows the participants to "taste" the history and heritage.
Some of the students responses: “I really loved hearing your story in even more detail and learning about your personal experiences and the experiences of your family, in the context of the entire fellowship, was really amazing. Thank you so much for planning and organizing this amazing program! I absolutely loved it.”
“I had no idea of the history of how the collapse of the Soviet Union personally affected so many people, and I really appreciated listening to Ana's story.”
“The history of antisemitism in Russia shows that this is a global issue for Jews and further stresses the need for a Jewish homeland.”
Biography
Ana Sazonov was born in Ukraine to a non-Jewish mother and a father who repressed his Jewish identity. Her family became Ukrainian in every way, which helped them to survive Anti-Semitic attacks and the Holocaust. Ana grew as a Ukrainian girl with no knowledge of Judaism or Israel. After the Soviet Union collapsed, the Jewish Agency sprang into action, promoting the Law of Return, and offered her family the chance to make Aliya and start a new life in the Promised Land. Aliya to Israel allowed Ana to grapple with her Jewish identity like no regular converts or Jews from birth can. Ana served two years in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) as a Basic Training Commander and trained IDF soldiers to be combat-ready. During her service, she joined 'Native,' an IDF program for a Jewish and Israeli identity. This program helped her to uncover her Jewish identity and connection to Israel, get a sense of belonging, and to join the big Jewish family by converting. Ana holds a degree with honor from Ruppin Academic Center in Business and Economics; she has explored different working fields as advertising, crowdfunding, and developing. She recently was the Israel Fellow (emissary) to Emory University Hillel, where she helped students to explore their Jewish identity and their connection to Israel. On top of that, she formed and led the Russian Speaking Jewish community in Atlanta. She is now following her passions by studying Jewish Professional Leadership and getting her masters in Nonprofit Management at the Hornstein Jewish Professional Leadership Program and The Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University. In her lectures "Chiburashka to Kishkashta," she gives a quick cover of the history of the Jews in different periods: Russian empire, Soviet Union, Iron Curtain, and after. In the lecture, Ana is sharing her inspiring personal story. This story allows us to examine the complexity and conflicts of being a Jew in the Soviet Union, immigrating to Israel and the struggle to fit the new Jewish country and society, and exploring identity question after being raised with a Ukrainian identity and discovering Jewish heritage.