Marina grew up in Ukraine, a part of the Soviet Union, where life seemed normal because they did not know how different it was everywhere else. Everything was controlled, from what they learned in school to what they believed about the outside world. Propaganda was everywhere, influencing how people thought and lived. 

"We thought our lives were just fine because we did not know any different." - Marina Gilman

Marina's school was very rigorous, six days a week, and had strict expectations. Saturdays were the worst because students were required to participate in "subotniki," mandatory school cleaning sessions. Marina says, "I absolutely hated school." Besides the strict rules, being a Jewish student meant was faced with constant bullying. Kids would call her names like "gidovka," translating to "Jew" or "Jude" which is the German term for being Jewish. They are curse words that hurt Jewish people. This made Marina feel like an outsider and was extremely painful for her to experience.  

"Kids hated me just because I was Jewish, and no one did anything about it at school." - Marina Gilman 

Despite the bullying and discrimination, she found joy in music. One of her happiest memories was attending music college in Gitomer, where she studied piano. It was a place where she could be herself, a space filled with passion and creativity even with a harsh and restrictive life. Growing up Jewish in Ukraine was not easy, but she still cherishes the beauty of Ukrainian songs and languages that are part of her everyday life. It's a complicated mix of memories, where the love of music and culture met the harsh reality of living under the Soviet Union system and being treated badly.