Rita Gluzman

After successfully reuniting with her husband Yakov, Rita Gluzman cherished every minute she spent with their complete family now in Israel. Although a native of Chernovtsy, Ukraine, Rita Gluzman was able to emigrate to Israel, first with her immediate family comprising her father, mother and younger sister. Rita and her immediate family had known hardship and heartache while they were still in their native Ukraine. For one, her father Leib was imprisoned in the Ural Mountains. Both Rita’s father Leib and mother Paula were Holocaust survivors. Rita had to fend for her younger sister and herself since their mother had left them to live near where their incarcerated father was at that time.

To ensure that she and her younger sister had enough to eat, Rita sold the empty bottles that were stored in the attic of their 8-family unit home. There were also times Rita had to rummage through garbage cans just to find something to feed her crying and hungry little sister. It was difficult enough for a ten-year-old girl like Rita Gluzman was then, but it didn’t stop there. The added burden of fending for herself and her little sister also came with the added challenge of not calling attention to herself and their situation. To reveal to everyone that she and her sister were living alone, without adult supervision, presented huge dangers on its own. It was in 1964 that Rita’s father was erroneously diagnosed with stomach cancer instead of just a bleeding ulcer so he was released from captivity.

It was while attending 5 grade elementary school in Chernovtsy that Rita Gluzman first met Yakov, her future husband who shared a desk with her. Although they were mere children at that time, it was apparent that the two had a special chemistry between them.

Rita went off to study chemistry at the University of Gorky while Yakov went to the University of Moscow to study Molecular Biology.