Polina Beyderman

Polina grew up in the city of Tiraspol, Moldova having a big extended family (her mother Dora had 9 siblings). Since the city is on the western border of USSR, they felt the effect of the WWII from the very first day. They had the presence of mind to escape and evacuate, because every other family member who decided to stay perished from the Nazis. To escape, Polina and her mother Dora took the longest train ride going east, it took several months, and the train was bombed along the way. They settled in Ural region during WWII, Dora worked at the hospital, and Polina helped around the house. Our family miracle story about the WWII is that Polina's father Mikhail and her oldest brother Kiva who were soldiers in different army branches, ran into one another by the pure luck.

In the summer of 1944, Polina and her mother were able to go back to Moldova, and settled in a different city, Kishinev. She finished bookkeeping classes, and worked her entire life as a bookkeeper at the same office. She met her husband Vladimir in 1945, they were married in December of 1945. Daughter Rimma was born in 1946 and son Michael in 1951. Vladimir had weakened health from injuries in the WWII and passed away in 1960 leaving Polina a widow at the age of 34 with two children. She focused on raising kids and later grandkids, working, and taking care of her mother. Even though she had many chances, she didn't allow anyone new in her personal life until much later when she was in her 60's.

Polina immigrated to Kansas City in 1992 barely escaping the civil war that broke in Moldova in the summer of 1992 after the dissolution of the USSR. She had lived in Overland Park her entire life in America. She could have gone to JCC to learn English as many immigrants did, but she devoted all of her time to raise her great-granddaughter Emily born in 1995 and later Nathan born in 2004, so that everyone else in the family could work. She has spent almost 30 years in US, living fulfilling life, being part of the Jewish community of immigrants from former Soviet Union, and making many friends along the way. I am forever grateful to her that she was able to take care of my kids (Emily and Nathan) while I was going to school and establishing my career. She loved her other granddaughter Vita and her two great-great-grandchildren Ethan and Luke just as much although she couldn't see them every day.