"Would you like to take off your coat?" I asked. "I think it will look nicer."

"What use is it?" she responds. "How old do you think I am?"

Meet Shaindel.

"We left Odessa for Kazakhstan on one of the last two ships. I was just 11. We watched the Nazi's bomb the other ship right out of the sea. It was a nightmare. We just as well could have been on the other ship, and I wouldn't be here to tell the story.

"It was in Kazakhstan that I met my husband, in 1948. He was 20. I was 18. After the war, we moved back to his hometown, Rostov. I've been here ever since.

"In a few years, I'll be 90," says Shaindel. Tears appear in her eyes as she continues. "Five years ago I lost my husband. We were together for 63 years. I never thought that he'd go first."

"My grandfather, Yeshaya, was a Rabbi. When I think of my ancestors, and I think of my descendants, I realize that there is nothing left of our heritage and it breaks my heart."

—
Credit: Yanky Ascher | Souls on the Don