Sophie

Sophie was born in Bombay when India was still the jewel in her majesty's crown. Her family was well off; she recalls living in a big house and having servants.

The lives of young women were driven by fate and family. She met Yaakov shortly before Indian Independence. She was 14 years old and it was their wedding day. They left India and settled in Singapore,where the three of their six children were born.

Sophie arrived in Israel when she was 20. It was a new country, and not the land of milk and honey they had been told about. They lived in tent camp with thousands of other immigrants for two years, and along with other families from India and Iraq founded Moshav Opher on the Carmel south of Haifa. Three more children were born during these years.

Sophie raised six children and worked every day of her life at menial jobs until she retired at the age of 65. She has never lived in a home with more than 3 rooms or larger than 60 square meters since coming to Israel.

Today Sophie lives with Yaakov in Haifa. All of her children live in Israel. She has 19 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.

Sophie's story is similar to that of thousands of others from Israel's first generation of immigrants. The modern and thriving country we live in today is their achievement.