Who is Raya Rudomin from The Endless Steppe; Growing Up in Siberia and what is their importance?

Raya Rudomin is Esther's mother. She is described as an emotionally distant woman, who only bonds with her daughter toward the end of their exile. Raya rarely expresses compliments and lives her life by a hard code of ethics. Raya and Anna, however, are the women who teach Esther to be proud and strong throughout their exile.