Zina Abraham was born in an Uzbeki prison in 1933. It was a tumultuous time in Jewish history. Soviet Union annexed the territories of what is now Uzbekistan and the Stalinist regime had led to widespread discrimination against the Jews. Ultimately released from prison and strapped to her mother’s chest, Zina and her mother, traveled by horseback undetected to Afghanistan. But as a woman in Afghanistan, she was still essentially in prison, concealed from the outside world with no access to education or medical care.

Abraham’s story takes us on sweeps and swirls through Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. Her quest toward religious freedom and education transports us to India, to Israel, and then finally the United States. Central to each chapter of her life is a story of survival and a deep faith and commitment to build and nurture a Jewish life for herself and her community.

Caravan of Hope tells the story of a Central Asian Jewish woman hailing from Bukhara, striving to reach the shores of a country that offered religious, financial and educational freedom. It recounts the experiences of many Bukharian Jews who were mainly uneducated and persecuted, with no time or wherewithal to chronicle their lives. This is one woman’s journey.