Smooth Sailing from Hell ― A Memoir by Esther "Eti" Young

Smooth Sailing From Hell is a memoir that tells the harrowing tale of my family’s experiences during World War II and its aftermath, from the horrors of the Holocaust to the oppression of the Soviet Union, and beyond. At the heart of this story is our steadfast determination to escape Soviet Russia and fulfill our destiny in the newly created State of Israel, the safe haven for Jews worldwide.After narrowly surviving the unimaginable brutality of Hitler’s Final Solution, my parents—both soldiers in the Soviet Red Army—battled yet another harsh dictator: Joseph Stalin. I was born into this oppressive environment and as a young child experienced the unrelenting fear, harassment, and degrading living conditions. At different times, both of my parents were arrested and detained under the threat of imminent execution.Through an extraordinary series of events, my family was among the few Jewish families to escape the Soviet Union, by way of Poland and its numerous Displaced Persons camps, while awaiting departure permits for Israel.Through sheer will and a burning desire to reach our promised land, we survived and built a new life for ourselves. Our journey motivated me to become a passionate activist, with a mission to secure the rights and freedoms of Soviet Jews who were languishing in the giant prison of the Soviet Union.