From the Promised Land to the Prairies: An Israeli family’s search for safety and reunion 

by Jana Zalmanowitz

Editor’s note – It’s been over two years since the horrors of October 7, 2023 shattered the lives of many Israelis. Since that time, some have made the choice to leave Israel, while rebuilding and finding an identity here in Alberta. This series examines the reasons they left and what being in Alberta has meant to their Jewish identity.

(AJNews) – When Valeria Murov and her husband Stas, heard about the Canadian program granting 3-year work visas to Israelis during the war, they saw an opportunity. They loved their life in Israel but were finding it increasingly difficult to navigate with young children. “It’s so scary what’s happened there. I wanted my children to be calm, not to wake up in the night from alarms, always searching for a safe place.”

Valeria did her research. She had never been to Canada but learned that Calgary had the most sunny days per year, boasted views of the mountains and that Alberta had lower taxes than other Canadian provinces. They settled on Calgary and she decided to take the leap and leave behind what she knew: their house, family, friends and an established career. What she did not anticipate leaving behind was her husband.

While Stas, a business owner, stayed in Israel longer to work, Valeria came to Calgary in September 2024 with her children, ages 3 and 6 to set up their life. She knew nobody, but within 10 days of arriving had registered her kids in daycare, found an apartment and opened a bank account. There were endless bureaucracies to figure out. “You know you come to Costco and they say ‘No, you can’t come to Costco because you need a membership,’” Valeria says, describing one of the unexpected rules of Canadian life. “It’s a store. Can’t you just shop there?” She quickly figured out Calgary is not easily walkable and she would need a car to get around more easily, so she got her Canadian driver’s license, bought a car and learned to drive in snow. She’s wasted no time in embracing this new life.

When it came time for Stas to join his family in December of 2024, he was denied entry to Canada at the border. “He’s on a blacklist or something. They told us he needs an Authorization to Return,” Valeria explains.  Stas lived with his parents in Montreal for part of his childhood, leaving for Israel when he was still a minor. “He arrived in LA and immigration said he can’t get on the plane. So we all flew to Florida. It was my son’s birthday.” While the family managed to make a different kind of memory on vacation in Disneyworld, it didn’t solve the long-term problem. Valeria and her family have been working with an immigration consultant but are still unsure why her husband cannot enter Canada and how he can gain entry to join his family. “It was last December and that’s the last time we saw him. It’s very hard.”

Valeria is building a life in Alberta for her children. When asked for photos, she pulls up images of her and her children on hikes in the mountains and dressed up for Stampede. Quintessential Calgarian experiences. Her son started at public school this year and both kids are making friends in their neighbourhood. She has watched their knowledge of English go from nonexistent to fluent. Valeria met other new Israeli Calgarians through a WhatsApp group but hasn’t ventured too much into the rest of the Jewish community. She attributes this partly to language. “I was at the JCC on Pesach but didn’t meet a ton of people. Maybe because my English is not so good. I don’t feel so free to speak with the Jewish people there who aren’t Israeli.”

When asked about whether she acknowledges she is Jewish or Israeli to those who she meets in the broader community, there isn’t a simple answer. Valeria was born in Belarus and moved Israel when she was one. She speaks Russian with her children and says when people hear them talking, they often assume they have come from Ukraine. Her children aren’t old enough to truly understand antisemitism and Valeria is okay with that right now. “I left Israel because I was afraid and I don’t want my children to be afraid. I want to understand how it works here and when I feel safety, it will work. I do want my children to know they are Jewish. That’s how I grew up. But I can’t explain to them there are bad people who may want to hurt you. I just can’t have this conversation with them again right now.”

Building a new life for her children is hard. Especially without her husband in the country. She misses her family and friends. She misses her work. Valeria was trained in communications and human resources. She managed a team in the Electrical Engineering department at a university. “I felt like the queen at work. Someone always needed something from me.” She understands it will take time to learn the language and gain not just employment, but work that uses her skills to their potential. It’s not just the personal things she misses. Valeria talks about Israel obvious love, in a way that makes you want to go there. You can feel the heavy trade-offs newcomers to our province make. They are not just coming somewhere new, but leaving somewhere they love behind. “I miss the sea. I miss the beach. I miss the balagan of Israel. We say it’s like a scene. There’s always something happening and something doing. Here there’s no balagan but it’s good for my children.”

Valeria is doing what so many parents have done before her, and that’s trade her comfort for her children’s future opportunities. Her biggest wish is that she does not have to do it alone and her husband can share in the joys and challenges of raising Jewish children in Canada. While they continue to problem solve and seek guidance, Valeria hopes the Jewish community can become a new home for her here in Alberta, offering support. “I hope someone reads this and says, “I can help her!”’

Jana Zalmanowitz is a Local Journalism Initiative Reporter