The Most Difficult Period of Our Lives
Yet our bliss did not last long. Within three months, U.S. ports were closed-- no ship was allowed in or out. All the paths were closed to father's return. Mail service with the U.S. was suspended and there were rumors of the beginning of a war. Mother was distressed and worried about her own future and those of her daughters. She was unable to think of a way of making father's return possible. My grandfather advised her to withdraw the thousand dollars from the bank. Mother went to the bank and was told to return in a couple of weeks. In the course of these weeks, the revolution broke out and the bank was set afire. We lost all our money, and so did thousands of other people.

This moment marked the beginning of the most difficult period in our lives.

Mother was a strong and proud woman but this situation left her shattered. The long separation from her husband, the loss of all the money, and the difficult events in the U.S. and Russia caused her much pain and worry. Mother consulted with the family and said: “War is a bad thing and we will share the destiny of all the Jews in our land. We will have enough to eat: Our plot of land, the cow, and the calf will allow us to survive.”

“Not knowing when father will return is the worst that could have happened to me.”