The birth of a star
Luba's birth on January 19, 1949, just four years after the end of World War II and four years before Stalin's death, was undoubtedly a challenging time. But as fate would have it, there have been worse times to be born.
Luba's parents did not know that she came into the world on the 18th day of the month Tevet 5709 from the creation of the world. Which of the Soviet citizens then operated with such concepts?
Despite the tumultuous time in which Luba was born, her luminous spirit descended from the higher spheres, and it was only natural for her to try to bring change to the world below. Perhaps in a distant constellation, a new star was born, ready to shine brightly but went unnoticed by many. Nonetheless, this star became a beacon of hope for me, a saving grace that lit up my life with its obscure power.
As the poet wrote, "Your rays illuminate my whole life with an obscure power. If I die, you burn over my grave, shine, my star." These words capture the essence of Luba, a bright soul whose light continues to shine brightly, even today.
Parents
Luba's father, Mikhail Markovich Ginzburg, was born in Minsk in 1907 into a prosperous entrepreneurial family. He was a general engineer who studied in Germany and was involved in constructing the Volga-Don canal by fixing locks. However, his life took an unexpected turn in 1938 when he was accused of passing information about Soviet students to Germany. He received a harsh sentence of eight years of hard labor and served his time in the frigid confines of Vorkuta, beyond the Arctic Circle. He was finally released in 1946 and settled in Ukhta.
It was in Ukhta that Mikhail met Nina Zakharovna Trishina, a simple Russian woman who was raised in an orphanage and worked in kitchens, often in pioneer camps. She had lost her first husband during the Second World War.
Later, Luba converted to Judaism in Moscow, and her conversion was recognized by the leading authorities of the Torah in Israel.
From Ukhta, the darkness, the cold, the snowdrifts, Luba's mother traveled to Moscow to give birth to her daughter on January 19, 1949. However, she soon returned to Ukhta, a desolate city beyond the Arctic Circle, primarily inhabited by former prisoners. Here, the long winter nights lasted for six months, with only a few hours of daylight. In contrast, December was so dark that the day lasted for only half an hour.
When Luba was five years old, her parents separated, and the reasons for their divorce remain unknown to this day. Nevertheless, Nina and Luba returned to Moscow, where they settled in a shared apartment on Gorky Street, close to the Eleseevsky store.
