LENEXA, Kan. — Ukrainian sisters, Julia Karasev and Renata Shuklaper, fled Kiev, Ukraine, in 1989 from religious persecution.
“We were religiously persecuted because we’re Jewish. We left because we had to, we had no other option,” Shuklaper said. “I just remember we weren’t allowed to take a lot of things with us. I have a lot of pictures — just relics that I can look at. But other than that, that’s really basically it.”
The sisters and their family flew from Kiev to Vienna, Austria, where they stayed for two weeks. From there, they left for Ladispoli, Italy, where they went through the immigration process. On Aug. 3, 1989 they arrived at Kansas City International Airport.
“I’m grateful daily for our family and my parents— to make that big decision for them— it was not easy,” Karasev said.
A photograph of Shuklaper and Karasev sits inside the Johnson County Museum in Overland Park. It was taken by a local resident, Michael Crane, inside the family’s new home. The photo was a part of a larger exhibit called “Freedom,” dedicated to document the resettlement of Soviet Jews in the Kansas City area.
“It was really beautiful the way he captured our faces, because it was like fear, but also like peace,” Karasev said.
For a long time, the photo represented the struggles of an immigrant family. The sisters describe their experience seeing their photo again as “haunting.”
But after three decades and a war overseas, they see “freedom” and “resilience” now as well.
Karasev says it has been a tough couple of weeks watching Ukraine be torn apart by Russian forces.
“It’s my dream to go back to Kiev and take my family there and show my children where I was born and raised. And it’s just so heartbreaking to see everything. My prayer daily is for everything to end,” Karasev said.
While stopping a war may be out of their control, they are honoring their roots by carrying on the traditions of their family and religion. It is something they say they have the privilege to do.
“During the holiday for Hanukkah, we light the menorah. And it’s like we can’t miss it. We make it a point to every time,” Karasev said.
