LUCY WAS 18 YEARS OLD WHEN

THE NAZIS INVADED THE SOVIET

UNION.

THE WAR BEGAN IN 1941,

JUST AFTER I FINISHED HIGH

SCHOOL.

THEY CELEBRATED MY

GRADUATION WITH GOWNS, AND

WE LAUGHED AND SANG, AND

LATER WE WALKED ALONG THE

SEA SHORE.

WE HAD NO IDEA THAT TOMORROW

WE WILL HEAR AN ANNOUNCEMENT

THAT THE WAR HAD STARTED.

THEN THE BOMBINGS BEGAN.

ON OCTOBER 17 WE SAW COLUMNS

OF JEWS BEING LED BY GERMANS

WITH MACHINE GUNS.

WE ASKED THEM, WHERE ARE

THEY TAKING US?

THEY ANSWERED US, THEY DON'T

KNOW.

Gordon: THAT DAY 80% OF

THE JEWS IN ODESSA WERE

MURDERED BY THE NAZIS.

LUCY AND HER FAMILY ESCAPED

THE MASSACRE, ONLY TO FACE A

NEW ROUND OF ARRESTS.

THERE WAS AN ORDER THAT

ALL JEWISH PEOPLE MUST LEAVE

THEIR HOUSES WITH ALL OF

THEIR POSSESSIONS.

WE WERE TOLD THAT ANYONE WHO

DID NOT LEAVE IN TWO DAYS

WOULD BE EXECUTED.

MY SISTER SAID, WHY SHOULD

WE GO TO A GHETTO.

WE CAN HIDE IN THE

BASEMENT.

NO ONE KNEW WE HAD THE

SHELTER, SO NO ONE COULD

FIND US.

WE HAD NO VENTILATION, NO

WINDOWS, AND NO DOORS.

WE LIVED IN HORRIBLE

CONDITIONS.

THE FLOORS WERE ALSO WET,

AND THERE WAS MOLD ON THE

WALLS.

WE WERE IN TOTAL DARKNESS.

WE WERE AFRAID TO EVEN LIGHT

A MATCH OR TO WHISPER A

WORD.

Gordon: AT NIGHT

NEIGHBORS BROUGHT THEM FOOD

IN A BUCKET, LOWERED THROUGH

A HOLE IN THE FLOOR.

WE ATE JUST ONCE A DAY, A

DISH MADE OUT OF CORN MEAL.

SOMETIMES WE ADDED MORE

WATER AND MADE SOUP.

WE THOUGHT WE WOULD ONLY BE

THERE FOR TWO WEEKS, AND

THAT THEY WOULD COME

LIBERATE US.

WE ENDED UP LIVING IN THAT

BASEMENT FOR TWO YEARS AND

THREE MONTHS.

Gordon: THOSE TWO YEARS

AFFECTED LUCY'S HEALTH FOR

THE REST OF HER LIFE.

AFTER I CAME OUT OF THE

BASEMENT, I WAS VERY ILL.

WHEN I GOT AN X-RAY, I FOUND

OUT I HAD OSTEOPOROSIS AND

TWO OTHER BONE DISEASES.

FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE, I

HAVE HAD PAIN ALL OVER MY

BODY.

TO THIS DAY I CANNOT MOVE MY

HANDS FREELY.

SOMETIMES IT HURTS WHEN I

EVEN JUST MOVE MY FINGER A

LITTLE BIT.

Gordon: WHEN THE SOVIET

UNION COLLAPSED IN 1991,

LUCY MOVED TO ISRAEL, HOPING

FOR A BETTER LIFE.

I WAS 69 YEARS OLD WHEN

WE CAME TO ISRAEL.

MY HUSBAND WAS A DISABLED

VETERAN OF WORLD WAR II AND

HE WAS VERY ILL.

Gordon: LIFE IN ISRAEL

WAS ANYTHING BUT EASY.

LUCY'S HUSBAND RECEIVED A

SMALL VETERAN'S PENSION, AND

WHEN HE DIED, SHE HAD VERY

LITTLE MONEY TO LIVE ON.

MUCH OF LUCY'S HEALTH CARE

IS COVERED BY THE ISRAELI

GOVERNMENT, BUT THE ONE

THING SHE NEEDED MOST WAS

NOT.

LUCY'S WALKER IS WORN OUT

AND TOO HEAVY FOR HER TO

PUSH.

SO WE GOT HER A NEW ONE

THAT'S EASIER TO HANDLE.

THE BEST THING IS THAT IT

IS SO STEADY.

THE WHEELS ARE LOOSE ON MY

OLD ONE AND IT MAKES A LOT

OF NOISE.

AND NOW I HAVE A SEAT TO SIT

WHEN MY BACK HURTS.

Reporter HURTS.

Gordon: AND WE NOTICED

THAT LUCY'S AIR CONDITIONER

WAS BROKEN, SO WE INSTALLED

A NEW ONE TO GIVE HER RELIEF

FROM THE HEAT.

I CAN'T IMAGINE ANYONE

WOULD GIVE ME A BEAUTIFUL

THING LIKE THIS.

I AM THANKFUL THERE ARE

PEOPLE LIKE YOU IN THIS

WORLD.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.