Emigre Family of 5 Heads for U.S. After 6 Days in Moscow
An emigre family of five that returned to its Soviet homeland complaining about life in the United States headed back to America on Saturday after six days in Moscow.
“It was a family, personal decision to leave,” Faina Gonta said in English.
The family--Faina Gonta; her husband, David; their sons, Alexander, 19, and Igor, 14, and Faina Gonta’s mother, Liza Kilimnik--looked tired and seemed anxious to leave.
The Gontas arrived in Moscow last Monday after living 10 years in New York City’s borough of Brooklyn and in Jersey City, N.J. The Soviet news media hailed their return and quoted them as saying they felt like “eternal immigrants” in the United States.
On Thursday, however, Faina Gonta said the family wanted to return to America because the two boys were unhappy. She added that they want to continue their education there.
Asked Saturday about her comment, she replied, “It’s not that they were unhappy, it’s just that they were growing up in the United States and they would like to continue their education there.”
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