Lena Russovsky was Shlepped to Israel from Moscow at 9 Years Old, Now She's a Journalist, Activist, and Entrepreneur

In this episode of Yalla, Let’s Go!, Erica and Abbey sit down with Lena Russovsky — Soviet-born Israeli journalist, KAN broadcaster, biotech researcher, and founder of “Russian Women Without a Sense of Humor,” one of Israel’s largest online communities with over 56,000 members — for a conversation about Russian aliyah, immigrant identity, and building a life in Israel.

Lena made aliyah from Moscow in 1991 at age nine, arriving just as the Soviet Union was collapsing. She grew up as part of the “1.5 generation” — Soviet-born children who immigrated young and came of age as Israelis — and has spent her career advocating for Russian-speaking olim, amplifying immigrant women’s voices, and building community across Israeli society.

Also in the episoide:

• The Soviet Jewish immigration experience and what the 1991 aliyah wave was really like

• Discrimination and harassment faced by Russian-speaking women in Israel

• What the melting pot ideal got wrong — and why immigrant identity can’t be erased

• Building a 56,000-member community from a moment of rage on national TV

• The 1.5 generation: growing up between two cultures, two languages, two identities

• Returning to Russia 20 years later and feeling nothing

• Aliyah advice for Russian-speaking immigrants making the move today

• What freedom really means when you grew up Jewish in the Soviet Union

This is a powerful conversation about immigration, identity, and the courage it takes to build a life among your people.

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KEY TOPICS 

0:00 – Intro

1:09 – Who Is Lena Russovsky: Russian Olah, Journalist, Activist, Community Builder

3:12 – Making Aliyah from the Soviet Union in 1991

4:58 – Arriving in Israel as the Soviet Union Collapsed

7:17 – How She Built a Career in Biotech, Broadcasting, and Activism

8:46 – Would She Be the Same Person If She’d Stayed in Russia?

9:50 – “Russian Women Without a Sense of Humor”: Why She Founded the Community

11:56 – Discrimination Against Russian-Speaking Immigrant Women in Israel

14:30 – Inside a 56,000-Member Community for Russian-Speaking Olim

15:35 – The 1.5 Generation and the Myth of the Israeli Melting Pot

18:49 – Growing Up Between Russia and Israel: The Immigrant Child Experience

20:34 – Did She Ever Consider Leaving Israel?

21:02 – Returning to Russia After 20 Years: What She Found

22:44 – What She Loves Most About Living in Israel

23:57 – Aliyah Advice for Russian-Speaking Immigrants

25:09 – At 80, Looking Back: Who She Became Because of Aliyah

25:49 – Rapid Fire: Hummus, Yalla & Hugging Strangers

RESOURCES

Follow Lena on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lena-russovsky-2131b2311/ 

Subscribe to Yalla, Let’s Go here: https://www.aleph.vc/yalla-lets-go 

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CREDITS

Hosts: Erica Marom, Abbey Onn 

Executive Producer: Sarah Bard

Producer: Sofi Levak, Dalit Merenfeld, Myron Shneider

Video and Editing: Nadav Elovic, Yotam Kushnir

Music and Creative Direction: Uri Ar 

Content and Editorial: Jackie Goldberg

Design: Nimrod Sapir