March 4, 2022 By Carol Britton Meyer
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has touched Hingham resident Misha (Michael) Goodman in a very personal way.
His parents made great sacrifices to bring their family to the United States in the late 1980s to escape the grasp of the Soviet Union and he is proud and thankful to be a U.S. citizen.
Several days ago, Goodman started a GoFundMe page for his extended family, who until recently lived in Ukraine and are now refugees. Family members on his mother's side first made their way to Moldova -- a small country west of Ukraine -- and are now on their way to France to stay with relatives, with the hopes of eventually returning to their home country. His father's family is already in the United States.
"My first goal is to help my family and then for them to safely return to Ukraine so my daughter, Alexandra [a second-grader at South Elementary School], can visit my homeland. She has never been there before," he told the Hingham Anchor. "To have an independent Ukraine is critical."
Nearly $8,000 of the $10,000 goal had been raised by Friday night, and he and his family are appreciative of the generous donations made by neighbors, friends, former work associates, and others.
"The response has been overwhelming," Goodman said. "People whom I have worked with and went to school with, someone I volunteered with in the past, and our neighbors have made contributions. We're grateful for the tremendous support."
Goodman's family members include both older and younger parents and numerous children (including one due in June) who have lost their jobs, homes, and even access to their bank accounts.
While they are “safe,” their fathers and brothers have stayed behind to fight. "My cousin, who I grew up with, has enlisted without any army training or experience -- just the urge to protect our homeland," Goodman said. "We currently have limited contact with him, and it is difficult to ensure his safety."
With no end in sight, Goodman's family and other Ukrainians "need all the help they can get," he said. "Any and all assistance --be it donations, thoughts, prayers, voices, sharing information, or even simple keystrokes on social media or other means of communication -- is greatly appreciated."
The money raised through GoFundMe will help his extended family pay their rent back in Ukraine and meet other financial commitments and replace some of the everyday items they had to leave behind.
Fortunately, Goodman said, "We're in an age where a lot of people are noticing what's happening more and seeing the effects of this action [by Russia]. The knowledge and information are out there."
In the meantime, his mother is the "gatekeeper" for the family. "I talk with her as often as I can to get updates," Goodman said. "We also receive texts from my cousin who enlisted."
Goodman -- who grew up in the Boston area -- his fiancee, Emily, and Alexandra later moved to Weymouth and then to Hingham two years ago, right before the pandemic hit.
During that challenging time, his family and neighbors supported each other. "We love our neighborhood. There are several kids her age who my daughter plays with, and it's a friendly place," he said, noting that Alexandra loves attending South School.
They found Hingham an attractive place to move because of the fine school system and its close proximity to the ocean.
"My parents grew up on the Black Sea, and Emily's family has ties to Buzzards Bay and Onset, so our long-term goal was to eventually move to a coastal community such as Hingham," he said.
Looking back, Goodman was born in Odessa, Ukraine. When his parents, Lioudmila and Vadim, decided they would like to go to the United States to live, his father was able to find a sponsor.
This allowed him to travel to America ahead of the rest of the family, learn the language, and find a job.
Once his father was established here, Goodman and his mother traveled to Moscow, took a plane to New York and then Boston.
"My parents made sacrifices to get us here, and we are so fortunate," he said. "If we were still in Ukraine, we would also have had to go to one of the smaller villages [following the Russian invasion]."
To make a donation to help Goodman's family, visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/584rhu-ukrainian-refugees-in-moldova.
A link with more information and how to help other Ukraine residents can be found at https://ukrainewar.carrd.co/.