Zoya Valentinovna Eroshok left. The first lady of Novaya Gazeta. Incredible. Unique. Our jewel

We defeated - did not hold Zoya Eroshko in this life.

Now this is our grief, not her. And yours. Because this woman, with her aggravated feeling of the rescuer, was an unusually good for those who needed help and participation.

Zoe Valentinovna - the stars of warm light had such a striking device.

She wrote her stunning texts in large children's letters, so on the page it was placed, good if there are two sentences. But one thing would have been enough - the proposal to live carefully, respect for the weak and be active compassionate.

She helped many, saved many, although in order to enter a pantheon a worthy person, one would have enough.

Zoya, one of those who founded a “new newspaper” in order to make it a vital necessity for that part of our people who retain the ideals of a simple, that is, a true life!

She is part of us and you.

And it will remain so until we have changed each other.

That is, forever.

Yuri Growth
and "New Gazeta"

You and I have grief, friends. Zoya Valentinovna Eroshok left. The first lady of Novaya Gazeta. Incredible. Unique. Our jewel. Who was immensely lucky to become the hero of her talent today cry. Who was lucky to become a hero of her love - cannot breathe. It hurts very much.

• Elena Milashina

She had sympathy for all living and rejection of everything dead. And this is not about biological. She did not like dead words. In a second, pathos and puffiness exposed, felt falsity. Surgically took out an insult. Angry on laziness. I rebelled against injustice.

She was surprised all the time to the world. Curiosity.

This gave some unreal driving power to its texts. I remember her note about diapers for twelve years. There were no diapers in the child’s houses, diapers were not included in the budget of our great country. Zoya in two paragraphs described the difference between a diaper and a diaper.

And the following days, people brought these diapers to the editorial office and in Moscow bars, an infinite stream. Gazeli was taken out.

Because it is impossible.

She was very beautiful. I loved beautiful things. Surrounded herself with beauty. It seems to me that she muffled her radiance with this, created a gateway, a transition, so that it was easier for us nearby.

She had a lot of effort. And love. She created our newspaper with love. Great texts. Their students and students. Us.

In the most black minutes, everyone came to sit to her.

She used all the power that she had to protect. She was not interested in the little things.

She had a favorite word "people." “Search people”, “hold on to the people”.

How much have we lost, Zoya, how are we now?

• Elena Kostyuchenko

More than 20 years ago, at a meeting with her father, I told him: “And you know, Zoya Eroshk for Novaya Gazeta gave birth to me. He then did not understand what this meant, and the Zoechka then laughed for a very long time ...

1995. I then worked in the military enlistment office of the city of Zhukovsky, and before that all my life in the troops - Afghanistan passed and had a seniority. After my conscript-an 18-year-old boy-got into Chechnya and died there, I told myself that I could no longer see how sons are taken away from mothers, and returned back to zinc coffins.

It so happened that I began to write to the local Zhukovskaya newspaper, and just then Valentin Tikhomirova came to me and asked for Novaya Gazeta and asked for a new one. I said that I am not a journalist, to which she answered me: “Then give an interview to the best journalist in Novaya Gazeta.

And in September 1995, in the apartment of Valentina Tikhomirova, we talked with a Zoechka at least 12 hours. Then, in Novaya Gazeta, an article called "Major Izmailov: I do not want to be drafted into this army." After that, I was called to the regional military registration and enlistment office: “You get the money, but you say“ I don’t want ”. And at that moment it was born to me: "Yes, send me to where you are sending my conscripts." They were delighted and sent me to Chechnya.

Zoechka believed that this was all due to the heading that came out in the Novaya Gazeta. Then the "new" seemed to smoke me in Chechnya. I began to liberate the hostages, being listed in the army, and working in a political newspaper. I was the only officer who had such a status. And it all started with Zoe and thanks to her, all my 23-year-old subsequent activities.

Zoya. I perceived her as a mother for all journalists of Novaya Gazeta - both those who are older than her and those who are younger. The whole editorial office consulted with her, and I, too. I remember that about 15 years ago I had a small conflict with Anna Politkovskaya. Zoya found out about this and very tactfully hinted to me that I had to go and apologize, even if she was wrong. After I did this, I shouted to the whole editorial office: “Zoechka, I apologized!”

And more recently, he tried to get through to her to consult about his son, who has problems with academic performance. But she did not answer for several days. She kept her illness in secret, only a few knew about it. Lena Milashina told me that she was on vacation, but even then I felt something was amiss, because she was never in the editorial office for more than two weeks.

The mother of Novaya Gazeta did not become. And this is a very strong loss.

• Vyacheslav Izmailov

It is customary to separate: at school - a teacher, and at the university - a teacher. Because of you, Zoya Valentinovna, I do not agree with this. You were and remained a teacher. Not just a person, an hour and a half “giving an object”, but a guide to a person, a mentor.

We met in my third year. Immediately surprised how much you smiled. And how many gestures, intonations and emotions when you spoke. It was not just lectures, it was something living.

You talked a lot about those who are weaker. The strings constantly touched, which in our cynical time, it would seem, is better to muffle. We sculpted from us street teenagers.

I admit honestly - I do not remember the content of your lecture on Margaret Thatcher. But I remember very well how the first time I sent a hundred rubles to the Foundation “Give Life”. It was after your story about him.

You knew how to give. And with their openness they helped others to reveal themselves.

You also became my teacher because you brought to a new newspaper. More precisely, they did not refuse the opportunity to come to it (and this was with other publications). I just asked: "Can I work?" And you said: “You can. But it will be difficult with money. ” On that and decided.

And then another year, if not more, they were interested in the editorial office whether everything is fine with me. Not thrown. And they always smiled.

In the end, we defended the diploma. I remember that in your review you, in addition to evaluating the work, have written a lot of good things about me. But I have nowhere to do not have the certificate about how good you are.

This is this certificate. Present it everywhere.

I believe that your path continues.

• Ivan Zhilin

Valery Evstigneev, Director of the Rainbow charitable center: I have not met people in life who would be able to respond to someone else's pain

- Mitya Aleshkovsky introduced me to Zoe Eroshk. They arrived in Omsk when the idea of ​​creating the first children's hospice in Siberia appeared. It was three years ago. Since then, we have not parted with her: she did not forget about us for a day or an hour - she called, asked how our affairs are moving, how else can I help. The articles that she wrote at least about us, about our children, our mothers, is more than journalism. In them, the greatness of her soul, her unique ability to empathize at present, and it was expressed not only in wise, deep words: with publication, her participation in the fate of the hospice was just beginning. I have not met any more in the life of people who would be able to respond to someone else's pain, someone else's misfortune. For me, for all the employees of the Rainbow, Zoya was the closest person. This is a terrible loss for us.

- As far as I know, she did not really believe that her articles would help to raise many funds for the "House of Rainbow Childhood."

- Yes, she doubted that in our time, people could break through people. But her words pierced both the layman and the people who have succeeded in business, wealthy, we have only power. Before the publication "Life to the end" at the expense of the hospice received 762 thousand rubles. In that article, she wrote that at least 10 million needed to complete the construction. And the day after her release, the incredible, fantastic happened: the entrepreneur Alexander Svetakov called the "Absolute Help" and said that he was ready to pay, as much as necessary, and transferred 11 million 790 thousand 617 rubles in two weeks in two weeks.

“Did she show you the articles before the publication?”

- Of course, although I did not ask. She sent not only ready -made articles, but also individual paragraphs, asked what should be corrected in them? But how can I rule such a master? The hand did not rise. Although it’s scary to be embarrassed that she exposed me with some kind of hero. I tried to convince her that I am not a hero - anyone who considers himself a person should take care of sick, doomed children, that they would pass away happy. Here we argued about this with her, only about this - I asked her to mention me less about me, but she insisted on her own. She said: "Valery, I write, as I think, as I see." She saw more than me, than all of us, who does this. Her articles were opened to me by such philosophical depths, which I myself could not think of.

I am a person not sentimental at all, but somehow she called from the Moscow editorial office and read out the just written article on the phone. And on the latest phrases she read - this was how it was strongly said about human, secret - and my tears and her were struck.

She thought about our hospice, looking for some opportunities to help us. She brought me with the stars of show business-Philip Kirkorov, Diana Gurtskaya and many others, gave their contacts, but I did not contact them. Something stopped me: I did not want to humiliate me, who I am for them-some kind of "felt of the Walley" from the Siberian hinterland? He did not ask for help from high -ranking officials, deputies with whom she wanted to introduce me, for the same reason.

- She introduced you to Lia Akhedzhakova ...

- Yes, and communication with her was a holiday for me, and Leah Medzhidovna helped us very generously. Such stars, who not only shine, but also warm, give heat to others.

Zoya Valentinovna was the only one of this world with whom I had a trusting relationship. She often called just like that, talked about her youth, about her father, asked for advice - she needed an interlocutor at that moment. The last time I called just the other day and did not say a word about her illness ...

For me, for all of us, this is a big tragedy, ours, personal, because people like it are no longer there

• Georgy Borodyansky

Some texts of Zoe Eroshko can be read here.

PS

Farewell to Zoe Eroshk will be held on November 23, 2018 at the Troekurovsky cemetery in a large farewell room at 10:40.