Sergey Panchenko

The family of an illegal immigrant who died at the "Dolphin" disco is requesting permission to reside in Israel.

Among the victims of the terrorist attack at the "Dolphinarium" in Tel Aviv, one earned a particularly bitter honor. Posthumously, he was returned… his real name. While numerous organizations in Israel and abroad were sending obituaries to newspapers, inserting the name "Roman Gorokhovsky" — the name given during identification at the forensic institute in "Abu Kabir", the Israeli Ministry of Internal Affairs was verifying the identities of the deceased.

They quickly unraveled the story to the end. Roman was an illegal worker who had arrived in our country from Ukraine with forged documents. In reality, his name was Sergey Panchenko.

Everything was already known; his mother, Natasha Sannikova, had taken her son's remains for burial in Ukraine, in the small town of Komsomolsk, while a temporary memorial near the "Dolphin" disco still displayed a photograph with the inscription in Hebrew "Roman Gorokhovsky". The girls from his group placed it, remembering what a good, kind, and handsome guy he was. This photograph was later given to his mother when she returned to Tel Aviv. This time, the story of uncovering illegal immigrants did not end in deportation. Moreover, social workers who appeared at their home and provided money for the funeral also brought the mother plane tickets… for a round trip. This fact alone should make those who are used to accusing Israel of inhumanity, undemocratic behavior, and chauvinism think twice.

Natasha returned to Israel and now, together with her husband Igor Sannikov (Sergey was her son from her first marriage — Sergey's father died very young), is requesting legal status to stay in the country.

For the Ministry of Internal Affairs, this case is truly unprecedented; until now, individuals who arrived in the country with forged documents and thus violated the laws of the State of Israel were unconditionally deported. But this situation is special, and the employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs who are accepting and reviewing the application understand this.

Natasha and I sit in a cramped room in the editorial office, going through photographs and reflecting on the twists and turns of life.

- …We decided to go to Israel out of despair, - my guest recalls. - We were tired of living in extreme poverty. For three of us - a tiny one-room apartment. We did everything we could to escape from destitution! We traveled to Vladivostok, hired ourselves on fishing vessels, worked day and night, despite the cold, wind, and rain. The boy stayed home with his grandmother - how bitter it is for me to think about it now! You spend a year at sea, come ashore, receive your one and a half to two thousand dollars - and you don't know what to spend it on first. It's still not enough to buy a home.

- But why did you need to enter Israel under false names?

- I honestly wrote to the Minister of Internal Affairs Eli Yishai and asked for forgiveness. We were told that it was the best way - many do it this way. In Ukraine, there are now dozens of offices for "preparing" documents for work in Israel. And we decided to go for it. I, of course, suffered because of our precarious and dangerous situation. I have always considered myself a law-abiding citizen, never imagined that I would resort to deception, but it seemed there was no other way out. I was used to working hard and raised my son to be diligent. All Israeli employers praised him. What we wanted in Israel was simply to earn a living. My men left for work in the morning - both were movers in a furniture transport company, and I did cleaning jobs.

- Natasha, your only son is buried in Ukraine. Wouldn't it have been easier for you to stay there, visit his grave, and lay flowers?

- It was very difficult for me to stay in my town. No one in Ukraine cares about us and our troubles. Everyone is busy with their own problems and misfortunes, and I felt completely alone there. The Jewish community promised us fifty thousand hryvnias, gave us five, and no one ever came to visit.

Here in Israel, there are people with the same fate as mine; we share a common pain, and we understand each other well. Every Friday late at night, we come to the memorial by the "Dolphin" disco and remember our children. Sometimes we go on excursions around Israel together. Recently we were in the city of Maalot and spent a good, warm evening together. I meet with guys who remember my son; they don't avoid me; on the contrary, they reach out, wanting to say something nice, and it makes it easier for us. We received money raised from the concert "Flowers in the Wind"; SELA also helped - a huge thank you to everyone!

- After the terrorist attack at the "Dolphinarium", many people began to think about the possibility of staying in a country where security for citizens has not been established. So why are you seeking status?

- Of course, if I could have predicted how this trip would turn out for me, I would have grabbed him alive and taken him anywhere, but who could have known! Israel is a good country, it just needs to deal with the beasts-terrorists who come to kill children.

The acquisition of legal status for Natasha now depends on the resolution of another very delicate and painful issue. In the terrorist attack, her only son died. Health problems prevent her from having another child. She is already forty years old, which is the limit for having children. It's terrifying to think that no one will ever call her mom. There is nowhere to get treatment in Ukraine, and there is no money for it either. Therefore, with this maternal plea, she appeals to the government of the State of Israel - to allow her to receive treatment for infertility in Israel, where, as is known, the level of medicine is very high.

That's the whole story. There are no clear opinions or ready-made solutions in it.

Victoria MARTYNOVA. "Vesti"