Nelli Fein would like to see her granddaughter Juliya Grosman along with her daughter Bella and her Russian son-in-law Vitali emigrate to America.

Nelli's main concern is that her granddaughter be brought up with a sense of her Jewish identity. She thinks that will be difficult in Klaipeda, where they now live, because although there are 300 Jews living there, it is very much a secular community where few people know anything about Jewish Life. The 44 or so other Jewish children in Klaipeda are, like Juliya, mostly children of mixed marriages. And as Russian speakers, they are further marginalized in a society where Lithuanian is emphasized.

Nelli is hopeful that some of her cousins whom are long settled in Atlanta, Georgia, will sponsor their immigration so that they can begin a new life.







Photos © 1998 Laurence Salzmann

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