In this episode of Not an Alien, Sonia and Sasha share their stories of immigration from the Soviet Union to the United States and Israel, respectively, as well as of the intersection of their journeys in America. As a child, Sonia left the U.S.S.R. with her parents, and eventually landed in suburban New Jersey. Raised by a single mother – who was, herself, a gifted scientist – Sonia only started to feel truly at home in the United States when she left the bullying and alienation of school behind her and went off to college. Sasha, on the other hand, immigrated from the Soviet Union to Israel, by way of Hungary, and had similarly challenging experiences assimilating in Israeli society. They met while Sasha was pursuing a post-doc in the U.S. and are now building a life together in California. Full of recollections that shed light on the challenges of immigration experiences, this interview is a sadly timely reminder of why we should all be searching our hearts for empathy and our guts for courage in the face of a recent onslaught on the Muslim, Mexican, and other immigrants.
Not an Alien 