Irina Olevskaya: "There was a time of parting with the Russian community - it is time to return"

Irina Olevskaya, immigration attorney, mother of three sons, member of the board of directors of the American Forum of Russian-speaking Jews and the board of directors of the Jewish community center KingsBayY.
- We are all at the mercy of stereotypes. One of them: an immigration lawyer who can speak Russian, works in Brighton. And your office in Park Slope. Why?
“I opened my first 15 office years ago in Manhattan, near Grand Central, where I can easily get from all over: from Westchester, Bronx, Queens, New Jersey and from Brooklyn, of course. Five years later, when I was waiting for my second child and did not want to spend three hours on the road, I moved the office to Brooklyn.
At first, the share of Russians among my clients was negligible. These were mainly Hispanic immigrants, many immigrants from the Middle East, the Philippines and India. So Brighton was not the best place for me. And after five or six years after creating my own company, I already had my own strong clientele - and I didn’t care where I opened an office: the clients followed me. It has been possible to manage the affairs of several generations of the same family: parents, children, and now their grandchildren and other numerous relatives.
- How did you choose this specialization?
- Rather, she chose me ... My family left Odessa in 1983, when I was 10 years old. We were denied several times, but suddenly a small gap opened, and we squeezed through it. In Italy, I turned 11 years. And my brother, on the day of our arrival in America, turned 13. Then we did not know the meaning of this date.
Our mother was very strict, and she firmly wanted me and my brother to choose a profession at an early age. And the choice was offered rather scanty: engineer, lawyer, doctor. Brother became a doctor. When we received diplomas and started working, my mother realized that the life of her children was not so easy as she dreamed.
In law school I specialized in the field of healthcare legislation. But, as they say, the stars did not agree: I found a job in an immigration firm ... Then I opened my own business, which in just six months grew into a full-fledged business.
- You said that in your childhood you did not know about the Bar Mitzvah. Is it possible in Odessa?
- I didn't know anything. At our home, not only did they not talk about religion, but in general they hid from children that we were Jews. My Jewry is solely the merit of my husband. When we met, he experienced a period of religious search. Regularly went to the synagogue, I wanted to observe the Shabbat, which caused panic in my parents. All my knowledge about religion, tradition, Jewry is all from him.
The husband ultimately refused strict compliance, but tradition is very important to us. We celebrate holidays, belong
lying to the synagogue, I even been its president for two years. And Israel is very important to us. There we celebrated the bar mitzvu of the eldest son. For younger boys, this is still to come.
- How did you find yourself in the American Forum of the Russian-speaking Jewry and why?
- I like to feel my need. At first I came to the KingsBayY community center, and three years ago I met Roni Vinnikov and Igor Branovan, they invited me to the American Forum. For me, the main thing is that this is the voice of the Russian-speaking community.
I came to America as a child. For a while the community did not interest me at all, I even wanted to isolate myself from it. Probably many children go through this. At home, we speak English, it's easier for us: a husband in America since 6 years. But in recent years, we have become closer to the Russian-speaking community. There are many of us with a similar fate - those who received a higher education here, made a successful career, and now returned to the community, to their native language.
As once my profession has found me, now the community is pulling in itself.
And I raise children in pride in our origins.
Honestly, with Ukraine, with Odessa, where I was born, connections are lost. Pulls me to Israel. I consider him my own.
- You want to give the community your voice. What for?
- I want Israel to live and crepe. This is the country where we all must return. Meanwhile, there is no consensus on how Israel should go. And we, our community, should certainly influence the formation of this opinion. Our worldview, views must be taken into account.
I admit, I do not always clearly understand what I would like for my country. But I have many friends there - people from different countries: from Yemen, Lebanon, France. In recent years, we communicate almost daily. And I try to understand what is important to them. I ask them how we can help, we who live in other countries. And I hear in response: “We need your support from where you live. You are strong where you live, we are strong where we live. Jews must live in the most different corners of the world. It gives strength to all the people, strengthens the spirit of Israel.
The congress is the embodiment of this idea, it is conceived as a forum of the whole nation, a forum of Jews from different countries, having their own special past, their own special experience, their world view. We all differ in views on religion, on traditions, on family. In this polyphony - our beauty and strength. And a large part of this force consists of Russian-speaking Jews. It may be objected that there are plenty of Russians in Israel. Yes, they are Russian - but they are Israelis. They have their own point of view. From our Russian-American position, the picture is different.
Why do Jews live in Germany? Why remain in Ukraine, in Russia, and others even returned there from Israel or from the USA? Why? I find it difficult to understand why people who want to live openly as Jews remain in these countries. Why do they hide their Jewry with one government and build synagogues with another? To understand people, you need to get to know them more closely. And having understood, you realize how important our polyphony is.
- For Israel?
- Exactly! We should all be involved in making decisions concerning our people, our country. You can not entrust such important things to anyone. We must learn to exist together, live together, build together.
Interviewed by Naomi Zubkova