In 1989, Rabbi Zalmen and Rebbetzin Leah Abelsky, already retired, became the first Lubavitcher shluchim in the Soviet Union.
The plane landed and I found myself across the world in Kishinev, the capitol of Moldova. A pleasant, accented voice asked me if I was all right. The voice belonged to my mother-in-law, Rebbetzin Leah Abelsky, the wife of Rabbi Zalmen Abelsky, the Chief Rabbi of Kishinev and Moldova. In truth, ever since the plane thumped down on the runway, my heart had been pounding away from excitement. Every day since Purim, we had marked off the calendar, counting down to the day of our departure. As excited as we were to go to Kishinev, the smiling faces and outstretched arms that welcomed us, made me appreciate just how excited my in-laws were for us to come. I was more than alright, I was thrilled to be in Kishinev with my husband and three children to spend the Passover holiday with my in-laws.
Shortly after landing in Kishinev
