THE IRON CURTAIN WAS THE POLITICAL,
MILITARY, AND IDEOLOGICAL BARRIER ERECTED
BY THE SOVIET UNION AFTER WWII sealing itself
and its dependent eastern and central European allies off
from open contact with the West and other non-communist
areas. It was under these conditions that Jana Jenkins took
her children and dared the impossible: leaving Soviet
Czechoslovakia.
Travel to the West out of Czechoslovakia was governed by
complicated rules to ensure citizens did not defect. Parents
were able to leave the country for short visits to the West,
but children were left behind to ensure their return.
Attempting to leave the country with children was classified
as a criminal act, and punishable by removing the children
and sending the parents to prison. This was the risk when
Jana and her three children boarded a train for West Germany
in 1970.
She didn’t know God at the time and carried the burden of
this risky decision on her shoulders. She was afraid, but God
had a date with her on the other side of the Iron Curtain.