Ana Sazonov's world changed on February 24, 2022 when Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, was hit by Russian ballistic missiles. As the destruction spread across central and eastern Ukraine, with Russian forces attacking the country from three sides, she knew she would have to do something.

Ana spent most of her life grappling with her Ukrainian and Jewish identities. Born to a Jewish father and non-Jewish mother in Ukraine, Ana was taught to repress her Jewish identity to survive the anti-semitism of the Soviet Union. Eventually, Ana's family sought Aliyah and returned to Israel under the Law of Return. She left her Ukrainian heritage behind and became fully Jewish.

After serving two years in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) as a Basic Training Commander, she received her Bachelor's degree and explored different fields, such as advertising, crowdfunding, and development. When she came to the US to work as an Israel Fellow at Emory University Hillel in Atlanta, she began working with Russian-speaking Jewish students in Atlanta. She quickly found that these students were teaching her as they encouraged her to embrace and reconcile with her Ukrainian identity.

In April of 2022, after the attacks on Ukraine, Ana traveled to the Poland border and spent two weeks volunteering with Ukrainian refugees.

Tune into this episode of the Around Town Podcast to hear more of Ana's story, what she experienced during that trip, and what she is up to now that she has finished her position as Executive Director at the Columbia Jewish Federation.

Support Ana and Ukrainian re-building efforts —

Ana's Organization: https://ukrainianpatriot.org/

Razom for Ukraine: https://www.razomforukraine.org/

Ana's Podcast: https://ukrainevoicesfromwithin.buzzsprout.com/

If you are interested in having Ana share her story with your church, businesses, or organizations, email her at [email protected] to collaborate.