The other Jewish captive: Alexander Goldman, Azov fighter and POW
This is an edited, abbreviated version of my phone conversation with Evgeniya Goldman on Friday, December 1, and subsequent text messages. Her husband, Alexander Goldman, is a prisoner of war in Russian captivity. She and her 16-year-old son Konstantin are now refugees in Odessa. I learned about Evgeniya and Alexander Goldman from Vova Vaksman, head of the Conservative Jewish Community in Odessa.
DF: I understand you are from Mariupol.
EG: My husband Alexander and I were both born and raised in Mariupol.
DF: Tell me about your husband.
EG: Alexander and I are both 38 years old. For years, he worked in the Azovstal Iron and Steel Works Complex. In 2015, after the Russian seizure of Crimea and Donbas, he joined the Ukrainian National Guard. He transferred to the Azov brigade in 2017 and served in it until 2021. Sasha (Alexander) had a contract that stated that he could return to Azov at any time, and they had the right to call him up for service. He left in 2021 because we had plans to open a souvenir business. He was recalled to service on the first day of the War, February 24, 2022.
Sasha and I have a 16-year-old son, Konstantin.
