Koba tells their story:

“Israel is ours and we have to be there! This is more than words for me – it’s also our emotions. We love Israel.”

“There are many things happening in this world now. I was brought up and raised as a Georgian. It is very difficult for me to leave the land that I grew up in. Despite the fact that I have a disability, I am sure that Israel can offer me a brighter future. It’s very hard to earn much in Georgia and you can’t imagine how we had to work these last days just to live. My wife and I were taking care of graves – cleaning them from dirt and grass. We earned some money to have food at home. We saw many graves of our Jewish forefathers – and we dreamed that one day we could go to the land of our forefathers.”

“My wife Nina is the best thing that has happened to me and she would say the same about me! She had a very hard childhood and stressful life. She grew up in a mixed family. When she was a small child and learning to write, she used to write from right to left as in Hebrew! And when her Georgian grandmother saw that, she would hit Nina’s hands with a ruler and shout anti-Semitic things to her. Nina is very strong and has a bit heart to give love instead. Later we became a family and still feel very young and full of emotion! It gives us strength to start our new life in Israel and we trust God that everything will be okay.”

“Of course, we will miss our family. I will miss my brother and the good friends I have here. We will miss our past and the close relationships to the people we love. That’s hard, very hard to put your life into one suitcase and go to an unknown place. But we are strong because we love each other so much. And we carry happiness in us which gives us strength.”

“Ezra International’s help was wonderful. We had no money in reality and when they contacted me and told me that they could help us we were amazed! They helped in renewing our documents and getting them translated. You do a huge work. I am sure that Ezra International will fulfil the needs of those Jewish people and their families who will make Aliyah in the future. Thank you so much that you stand with us.”