Hero in a headscarf

Elena Salaks
15 min readMar 7, 2022

My family’s experience in the Soviet Union and why we left.

Elena Salaks walking in front of her father’s childhood home in Ukraine
Visiting my dad’s childhood home in Rivne, Ukraine

“Our greatest challenge isn’t speaking up against our enemies, but defying those whose approval we seek the most.” -Jasmine from the movie Aladdin

Sitting in the comfort of my home watching my children sleep soundly, I realize they are older than I was when I immigrated from Ukraine. I am thankful and yet overcome by despair for the families…

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Elena Salaks

On a mission to have it all — a sleep deprived mktg/tech professional, mom, wife, friend & human rights activist. In US, originally from Ukraine