Growing up in a small Jewish community in San Antonio, Texas, Ahuva Rosilio never imagined having to flee an embattled Ukraine preparing for an imminent Russian invasion.

But that’s exactly what happened to the 26-year-old mother of three, whose adopted homeland of five years is readying for war. Rosilio and her children were evacuated late Saturday night with only 24 hours to pack their belongings and leave behind their home in Odessa, a port city and cultural hub on the Black Sea in southern Ukraine.

Meanwhile her husband, Shlomo, 36, an emergency first responder, stayed behind to organize an evacuation plan for more than 250 women and children in the inland Ukrainian city of Uman.

“Of course I wanted to stay, but because of my children that was not an option — I am a mother first and it is my responsibility to keep them safe,” she told The Post. “I’m not sure what the ramifications will be if Putin does take over Ukraine. I am also worried for the Ukrainian families and how heartbreaking this must be for them.”

Rosilio, who’s Orthodox, met Shlomo, an Israeli who’s lived in Uman on and off throughout his entire life, when she was a teenager. The two married in 2012 when she was only 17, and the pair put down roots in Uman after her son turned 1. 

Ukraine was a part of the former Soviet Union until it declared independence in August 1991, and relations between Ukraine and Russia have been hostile since 2014, following the Russian annexation of Crimea. Still, Rosilio took a leap of faith and moved half a world away. “I didn’t really have any [reservations] — I trusted my husband and went,” she said.

She braced herself for protests from her loved ones about her plans. “I was scared to tell anyone. I myself was very excited for the adventure, but of course my friends and family were not as excited about it as I was,” she said.

Ukraine has a challenging history for Jewish people, as pogroms during the Russian Revolution, from 1917 to 1921, are said to have killed more than 30,000 Jews. Years later, an estimated 1.5 million Jews from Ukraine were murdered during WWII.

“I had a few people that told me I am stupid for going back to a country that murdered Jews,” Rosilio said.

But she found inspiration in her new homeland. “Jews have a different connection — a more solemn connection to Ukraine. Sometimes I would walk the streets and think to myself, ‘Wow what must have happened here just 80 years ago.’” 

The young family settled in Uman, a hub for religious Jews. “I love[d] my life there,” she told The Post. “It’s a very different culture than America,” she said of the cosmopolitan street where the family lived among many Israelis in a tight-knit community.

When the kids entered primary school about a year ago, the family relocated to Odessa for the schools. Rosilio describes it as “a bit of a shock.” The Russian influence was much stronger in that city, she said. “Odessa is more Russian than Ukrainian. Some people even give you looks if you speak Ukrainian.”

But Rosilio fell in love with Odessa. “I can’t see myself living anywhere else. The buildings in Odessa are gorgeous … The city has a beautiful antique feel in some ways, but at the same time there is so much to do and it has big shopping centers, kosher restaurants and a fun night life.” The couple made friends, and the children, ages 8, 6 and 7 months old, settled in.

Now, the young family’s future in Ukraine is uncertain.

For weeks, amid reports that Putin was planning to invade, “Nothing really has changed. It’s all talk and no one knows what’s going to happen,” she said. “The plan was to wait as long as we could … No one believed the situation with Russia would actually unfold.”

But then this weekend, an alert came from the Israeli embassy that anyone who could should leave immediately, and Israel would open its border to any Jews coming from Ukraine.

“We were told to leave – to evacuate within 24 hours. It all happened very fast and under a lot of stress,” she said. Late Saturday night, Rosilio and her kids, who are all American citizens, furiously collected their things. “We started to throw everything into suitcases. I even took wet clothes from the laundry in a plastic bag because we did not have any time.” she said.

And leaving the country became nearly impossible, after four of her flights were canceled due to insurance issues. Frantically, she secured a midnight flight out of Odessa to Israel.

“We said a tearful goodbye to my husband – he gave the children kisses and we tried to show them we were not worried and focused on the fact that we would get to see all our cousins and Grandma and Grandpa, but everyone was crying and the children did not want to leave,” said Rosilio, adding that she recognized many people from her community on the flight. “Even my daughter’s teacher was on the plane,” she said.

Shlomo, founder of Ukraine Hatzalah, a Jewish emergency response organization, is still in Ukraine. Rosilio doesn’t know when she’ll see him again.

“It could be two weeks and nothing happens or the worst could happen and I won’t return home for months,” she said, adding that she talks to her husband every day. “He said this morning everything was completely quiet — that no one is talking about the situation, that it’s very strange, not a word.”

Her kids cry for home every day, and Rosilio prays she can get back to Odessa soon. She said: “Hopefully it’s not the calm before the storm.”