On Oct. 7, Ana Sazonov awoke to messages from her family and friends asking if she was okay. She had just flown to the United States after volunteering on the front lines in Ukraine. Unaware of what had happened overnight, she quickly called her friend in Ukraine who was still on the front lines. “This time it’s not Ukraine,” her friend said. “This time it’s Israel.”
Andy Gitelson, executive director of Oregon Hillel, invited Sazonov to speak at Hillel on Feb. 1 as part of her “speaking tour” to raise funds for Ukrainian Patriot. Approximately 20 students attended the event.
“It is critical for us to share Ana’s experience as both a Ukranian and Israeli,” Gitelson said. “Ana’s work with Ukrainian Patriot is providing essential support and resources to people on the ground.”
Sazonov is a Ukrainian Israeli Jew. She grew up in Berezne, Ukraine, unaware of her Jewish identity. During World War II, her great-grandfather had changed the families’ documents, erasing their Jewish identity to ensure their safety during the Holocaust.
1986 brought Ukraine the Chernobyl disaster, an explosion at a nuclear power plant. “We were surrounded by an enemy that we could not see, we could not feel [and] we could not touch, but it’s literally eating you day by day,” Sazonov said.
One day as her mom listened to the radio she heard an advertisement from the Jewish Agency, inviting Jews to the “land of milk and honey.” At age six, for the first time, Sazonov learned about her Jewish identity as she packed her bags to move to Israel.
“One of the things that Israel did allow me and my family is to embrace the idea that we’re safe to be Jewish,” Sazonov said while reflecting on the first Hanukkah she celebrated in Israel.
On Feb. 24, 2022, Sazonov received the news that war broke out in Ukraine while working in South Carolina. Her parents had moved back to Ukraine during the COVID-19 pandemic and were luckily on a quick visit to Israel at the time. Sazonov was confused, afraid and sad. Her home country was being attacked.
“After World War II many people felt they didn’t do enough,” an American volunteer told Sazonov during a visit to see family in Ukraine, adding that he didn’t want to have that feeling. This inspired Sazonov to resign from her job and join Ukrainian Patriot, an organization providing humanitarian aid to Ukraine’s front lines. For the last year, Sazonov has risked her life to help Ukraine.
In recent months, the Israel-Hamas war has received an outsize amount of attention and debate from UO students, including rallies, demonstrations and vigils. Demonstrations regarding the war in Ukraine have not been prevalent on campus.
Sazonov encouraged students to donate to causes they are passionate about, message their local officials or even put out a flag to show their support.
“Democracy is under a test,” Sazonov said. “Loss in either war has huge implications on the rest of the world.”
