Soviet Jewish Immigrant Tsila Pleasant Celebrates 35 Years at Gesher Human Services
Life in the former Soviet Union was no easy feat for its Jewish citizens.
Tsila Pleasant (Vinik), employment specialist at Gesher Human Services, recalls rampant antisemitism growing up in Moldova, a former Soviet republic. By the time she was ready to attend college, the antisemitism had reached levels her family could no longer tolerate.
In 1973, the Vinik family made aliyah to Israel. Like many other Soviet Jews, they sought a better life where they could practice their religion freely and have equal opportunities for their children. Pleasant spent 11 months in Israel, one of which included the Yom Kippur War.
Then, two months before Pleasant’s 20th birthday, the Viniks emigrated to the United States.
Holocaust survivors Chaim and Manya Vinik, and their four children settled in Oak Park in 1974, which served as the hub at the time for Soviet Jewish refugees.
Pleasant, who soon became a young mother, began working at a local drugstore as a pharmacy assistant. Her English was limited, and like most Soviet Jewish immigrants, she faced the daunting task of starting over in a world that was completely unfamiliar and new.