Elena Osipovna Malakhovshaya collection

Copyright Holder: Center for the Studies of History and Culture of East European Jewry (Judaica Center) of the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy in Kyiv, Ukraine Contains photocopies of official documents, personal letters, and newspaper clippings pertaining to Elena Osipovna Malakhovshaia. Malakhovshaia was born in 1934 as Rosaliia Osipovna Laikhter. She lived through the German bombing of the port of Odessa and the ensuing widespread conflagration. Members of her family hid in the catacombs beneath the city. Malakhovshaia spent part of 1941 in the Slobodka Ghetto. She survived the war, became an artist, and later emigrated to Israel. Elena Osipovna Malakhovshaya was born on July 3, 1934 in Odessa. Her birth name was Rosalia Osipovna Laikhter. She lived through the German bombing of Odessa’s port, which resulted in a widespread fire. Members of her family, along with other Jewish residents, then sought shelter within the catacombs underneath Odessa. In 1941, during the Nazi occupation of Odessa, Elena Osipovna was forced into the “Slobodka” Ghetto. After the War, Elena went to art school in Odessa, and later became a ceramic artist. She changed her name from Rosalia to Elena and later immigrated to Israel. She did not publish her story until 1997.