List of Belarusian Jews
Encyclopedia
Presented below are lists of notable Belarusians
of Jewish descent, Jewish people born on the territory of present-day Belarus
or of full or partial Belarusian Jewish origin.
Israel
Russian Empire
Belarus
Belarusians
Belarusians ; are an East Slavic ethnic group who populate the majority of the Republic of Belarus. Introduced to the world as a new state in the early 1990s, the Republic of Belarus brought with it the notion of a re-emerging Belarusian ethnicity, drawn upon the lines of the Old Belarusian...
of Jewish descent, Jewish people born on the territory of present-day Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
or of full or partial Belarusian Jewish origin.
Scientists
- Zhores Alferov, physicist, Nobel Prize (2000), born in Viciebsk (Jewish mother)
- Naum Akhiezer, mathematician, born in Cherykau
- Issai SchurIssai SchurIssai Schur was a mathematician who worked in Germany for most of his life. He studied at Berlin...
, German-Israeli mathematician, born in Mahiliou - Oscar ZariskiOscar ZariskiOscar Zariski was a Russian mathematician and one of the most influential algebraic geometers of the 20th century.-Education:...
, Belarusian mathematician - Lev VygotskyLev VygotskyLev Semyonovich Vygotsky was a Soviet psychologist, the founder of cultural-historical psychology, and the leader of the Vygotsky Circle.-Biography:...
, psychologist - Seymour LubetzkySeymour LubetzkySeymour Lubetzky was a major cataloging theorist and a prominent librarian. Born in Belarus as Shmaryahu Lubetzky, he worked for years at the Library of Congress. He worked as a teacher before he immigrated to the United States in 1927. He earned his BA from UCLA in 1931, and his MA from UC...
, cataloging theorist - Semyon KosbergSemyon KosbergSemyon Ariyevich Kosberg was a Jewish Soviet engineer, expert in the field of aircraft and rocket engines, Doctor of Technical Sciences , Hero of Socialist Labor .In 1931, Semyon Kosberg graduated from the Moscow Aviation Institute...
, Soviet aircraft and rocket engineer, born in SlutskSlutskSlutsk is a town in Belarus, located on the Sluch River south of Minsk. As of 2010 its population is of 61,400).-Geography:The town is situated in the south-west of its Voblast, not too far from from the city of Soligorsk.-History:...
IsraelIsraelThe State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
- Shimon PeresShimon PeresGCMG is the ninth President of the State of Israel. Peres served twice as the eighth Prime Minister of Israel and once as Interim Prime Minister, and has been a member of 12 cabinets in a political career spanning over 66 years...
, Israeli PM, Nobel Prize (1994) - Chaim WeizmannChaim WeizmannChaim Azriel Weizmann, , was a Zionist leader, President of the Zionist Organization, and the first President of the State of Israel. He was elected on 1 February 1949, and served until his death in 1952....
, first president of Israel, inventor of syntetic acetone, born in Motal - Menachem BeginMenachem Begin' was a politician, founder of Likud and the sixth Prime Minister of the State of Israel. Before independence, he was the leader of the Zionist militant group Irgun, the Revisionist breakaway from the larger Jewish paramilitary organization Haganah. He proclaimed a revolt, on 1 February 1944,...
, Israeli PM, Nobel Prize (1978), born in BrestBrest, BelarusBrest , formerly also Brest-on-the-Bug and Brest-Litovsk , is a city in Belarus at the border with Poland opposite the city of Terespol, where the Bug River and Mukhavets rivers meet... - Yitzhak ShamirYitzhak Shamir' is a former Israeli politician, the seventh Prime Minister of Israel, in 1983–84 and 1986–92.-Biography:Icchak Jeziernicky was born in Ruzhany , Russian Empire . He studied at a Hebrew High School in Białystok, Poland. As a youth he joined Betar, the Revisionist Zionist youth movement...
, Israeli PM (1984-85 1988-90), born in RuzhanyRuzhanyRuzhany is a small town located in Pruzhany Raion of Brest Voblast, Belarus.-Geography:Ruzhany is situated on the river Ruzhanka and surrounded by picturesque hills... - Zerach WarhaftigZerach WarhaftigRabbi Dr. Zerach Warhaftig was an Israeli lawyer and politician and a signatory of Israel's Declaration of Independence.-Background:Warhaftig was born in Volkovysk in the Russian Empire in 1906. His parents were Yerucham Warhaftig and Rivka Fainstein...
, born in VaukavyskVaukavyskVawkavysk or Vaŭkavysk or Volkovysk is a town in the Hrodna Province of Belarus. It is the center of Vaŭkavysk district and has a population of around 48,000....
Russian EmpireRussian EmpireThe Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
and the USSR
- Gesya GelfmanGesya GelfmanGesya Mirokhovna Gelfman ; , Russian revolutionary, member of Narodnaya Volya,...
, Russian revolutionary, member of Narodnaya Volya
BelarusBelarusBelarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
- Viktor SheimanViktor Sheiman-Political Life:He graduated from the Blagoveshchenskoe Tank Command Red Banner School in Gorky Oblast and the Ministry of the Interior Academy of the Republic of Belarus in Minsk....
, adviser and helper of president Alexander Lukashenka, influential Belarusian politician (of partial Jewish descent) - Mikola AbramchykMikola AbramchykMikola Syamyonavich Abramchyk , was a Belarusian journalist and emigre politician of Jewish and Armenian descent and president of the Belarusian People's Republic in exile during 1943–1970.He attended school in Radoszkowicze...
, president of the Council of the Belarusian Democratic Republic (of partial Jewish descent)
Writers
- Ayn RandAyn RandAyn Rand was a Russian-American novelist, philosopher, playwright, and screenwriter. She is known for her two best-selling novels The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged and for developing a philosophical system she called Objectivism....
, father born in Brest-Litovsk - Carlos ShermanCarlos ShermanCarlos Sherman was a Uruguay-born Belarusian–Spanish translator, writer, human rights activist and honorary vice-president of the Belarusian PEN Center . He translated from Spanish into Belarusian and Russian.-Biography:Carlos was born in Montevideo, Uruguay...
, Belarusian-Uruguayan writer and translator (Jewish father) - Źmitrok BiadulaZmitrok BiadulaShmuel Yefimovich Plavnik , better known by the pen name Źmitrok Biadula, , was a famous Jewish Belarusian poet, prose writer, cultural worker, and political activist in the Belarusian independence movement.Źmitrok Biadula was born Shmuel Yefimovich Plavnik on April 23, 1886 in the...
, Belarusian poet - Isaac Dov BerkowitzIsaac Dov BerkowitzIsaac Dov Berkowitz , a Jewish and Israeli author, born in Slutsk, Russian Empire, now Belarus. He emigrated to and settled in the British Mandate of Palestine, today Israel, in 1928.-Works:...
, Israeli writer - Mendele Mocher SforimMendele Mocher SforimMendele Mocher Sforim , December 21, 1835 = January 2, 1836 , Kapyl — November 25, 1917 = December 8, 1917...
, writer - Immanuel VelikovskyImmanuel VelikovskyImmanuel Velikovsky was a Russian-born American independent scholar of Jewish origins, best known as the author of a number of controversial books reinterpreting the events of ancient history, in particular the US bestseller Worlds in Collision, published in 1950...
, cosmology writer - David PinskiDavid PinskiDavid Pinski was a Yiddish language writer, probably best known as a playwright. At a time when Eastern Europe was only beginning to experience the industrial revolution, Pinski was the first to introduce to its stage a drama about urban Jewish workers; a dramatist of ideas, he was notable also...
, American and Israeli writer, born in Mahiliou - Leon KobrinLeon KobrinLeon Kobrin was a playwright in Yiddish theater, writer of short stories and novels, and a translator. As a playwright he is generally seen as a disciple of Jacob Gordin, but his mature work was more character-driven, more open and realistic in its presentation of human sexual desire, and less...
- Morris Raphael CohenMorris Raphael CohenMorris Raphael Cohen was an American philosopher, lawyer and legal scholar who united pragmatism with logical positivism and linguistic analysis. He was father to Felix S. Cohen....
, philosopher - Ryhor RelesRyhor RelesRyhor Reles - a Jewish-Belarusian writer, he was one of the last writers in Belarus that wrote in Yiddish....
Historians
- Simon DubnowSimon DubnowSimon Dubnow was a Jewish historian, writer and activist...
, Jewish historian - Lazar GulkowitschLazar GulkowitschLazar Gulkowitsch was an eminent Jewish Studies scholar.-Life:Born in Zirin , Belarus as the son of a merchant, he attended school in Baranavichy and then the famous Mir Yeshiva...
, Jewish Studies scholar - Avraham Harkavi, historian
- S. AnskyS. AnskyShloyme Zanvl Rappoport , known by his pseudonym S. Ansky , was a Russian Jewish author, playwright, and researcher of Jewish folklore....
, a scholar who documented Jewish folklore and mystical beliefs, born in Chashniki
Composers and musicians
- Irving BerlinIrving BerlinIrving Berlin was an American composer and lyricist of Jewish heritage, widely considered one of the greatest songwriters in American history.His first hit song, "Alexander's Ragtime Band", became world famous...
, American composer - Arkadi DuchinArkadi DuchinArkadi Duchin is an Israeli singer-songwriter and musical producer.-Early life:Duchin was born in Babruysk, Belarus. He immigrated to Israel at the age of 15.-Music career:...
, Israeli singer-songwriter and musical producer - Aleksandr "Shura" Uman and Igor "Lyova" Bortnik of the famous Belarusian-Australian Russian rockRussian rockRussian rock refers to rock music made in Russia or in the Russian language. Rock and roll became known in the Soviet Union in the 1960s and quickly broke free from its western roots. According to many music critics, its "golden age" years were the 1980s , when the Soviet underground rock bands...
band Bi-2Bi-2Bi-2 is a Russian rock band with Belarusian origin, formed in the 80's in Minsk, Belarus. It was one of the most successful with many sales and chart-hits in Russia. Bi-2 was awarded MTV Russian Music Awards for Best Rock Act in 2007.-Pre-history:...
Artists
- Marc ChagallMarc ChagallMarc Chagall Art critic Robert Hughes referred to Chagall as "the quintessential Jewish artist of the twentieth century."According to art historian Michael J...
, painter - Ossip ZadkineOssip ZadkineOssip Zadkine was a Belarusian-born artist who lived in France. He is primarily known as a sculptor, but also produced paintings and lithographs.-Early years and career:...
, sculptor (Jewish father) - Michel KikoineMichel KikoineMichel Kikoine , was a French painter of Jewish-Belarusian origin.- Life :Kikoine was born in Rechytsa, Belarus. The son of a Jewish banker in the small southeastern town of Gomel, he was barely into his teens when he began studying at "Kruger's School of Drawing" in Minsk. There he met Chaim...
, painter - Bella Chagall, the wife of Marc ChagallMarc ChagallMarc Chagall Art critic Robert Hughes referred to Chagall as "the quintessential Jewish artist of the twentieth century."According to art historian Michael J...
- Naum GaboNaum GaboNaum Gabo KBE, born Naum Neemia Pevsner was a prominent Russian sculptor in the Constructivism movement and a pioneer of Kinetic Art.-Early life:...
, sculptor - Antoine PevsnerAntoine PevsnerAntoine Pevsner was a Belarusian and Russian sculptor and the older brother of Alexii Pevsner and Naum Gabo. Both Antoine and Naum are considered pioneers of twentieth-century sculpture.Pevsner was born in Klimavichy, Belarus...
, sculptor - Pinchus KremegnePinchus KremegnePinchus Krémègne, aka Pinchus Kremegne , was a French artist of Jewish-Russian origin, primarily known as a sculptor, painter and lithographer....
, painter - Chaim SoutineChaim SoutineChaïm Soutine was a Jewish painter from Belarus. Soutine made a major contribution to the expressionist movement while living in Paris....
, painter
Businesspeople
- Michael MarksMichael MarksMichael Marks, , was one of the two co-founders of the retail chain Marks & Spencer.-Biography:...
, co-founder of Marks and Spencers - Louis B. MayerLouis B. MayerLouis Burt Mayer born Lazar Meir was an American film producer. He is generally cited as the creator of the "star system" within Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in its golden years. Known always as Louis B...
, co-founder MGM - Ralph LaurenRalph LaurenRalph Lauren is an American fashion designer and business executive; best known for his Polo Ralph Lauren clothing brand.-Early life:...
, fashion designer, son of Belarusian-Jewish emigrants - Ida RosenthalIda RosenthalIda Rosenthal was a Russian-born American dressmaker and businesswoman who is often credited as the inventor of the brassiere. At the age of 18, she emigrated to the United States, following her fiancé William Rosenthal, and Americanized her name to Cohen...
, founder of Maidenform Brassieres, born in MinskMinsk- Ecological situation :The ecological situation is monitored by Republican Center of Radioactive and Environmental Control .During 2003–2008 the overall weight of contaminants increased from 186,000 to 247,400 tons. The change of gas as industrial fuel to mazut for financial reasons has worsened... - David SarnoffDavid SarnoffDavid Sarnoff was an American businessman and pioneer of American commercial radio and television. He founded the National Broadcasting Company and throughout most of his career he led the Radio Corporation of America in various capacities from shortly after its founding in 1919 until his...
, head of RCARCARCA Corporation, founded as the Radio Corporation of America, was an American electronics company in existence from 1919 to 1986. The RCA trademark is currently owned by the French conglomerate Technicolor SA through RCA Trademark Management S.A., a company owned by Technicolor...
Sportspeople
- Boris GelfandBoris GelfandBoris Abramovich Gelfand is a Belarus-born Israeli chess Grandmaster. He won the 2011 Candidates Tournament and will challenge Viswanathan Anand for the World Chess Championship 2012.-Biography:...
, chess player - Yuri ForemanYuri ForemanYuri Foreman is a Belarusian-born Israeli-American professional boxer. He is a former World Boxing Association super welterweight champion...
, boxer - Victor MikhalevskiVictor MikhalevskiVictor Mikhalevski is an Israeli chess grandmaster who lives in Beer Sheva. his Elo rating was 2611, making him the #7 player in Israel and the 171st-highest rated player in the world...
, chess player
Military people
- Nahum EitingonNahum EitingonNahum Isaakovich Eitingon, or Naum Isaakovič Ejtingon , also known as Leonid Aleksandrovich Eitingon , was a Soviet intelligence officer, who was sometimes described as a major organizer of Stalin's state terrorism system.- Career :Eitingon, a Russian Jew, joined the Cheka in 1920, shortly before...
, Soviet spy and NKVDNKVDThe People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs was the public and secret police organization of the Soviet Union that directly executed the rule of power of the Soviets, including political repression, during the era of Joseph Stalin....
officer - Tuvia Bielski and Asael BielskiAsael BielskiAsael Bielski was the second-in-command of the Bielski partisans during World War II.-Early life:Asael was the third son of David and Beila Bielski, being about two years younger than his brother Tuvia who later commanded the Bielski Otriad...
, leaders of a Jewish partisan group (the Bielski partisansBielski partisansThe Bielski partisans were an organisation of Jewish partisans who rescued Jews from extermination and fought against the Nazi German occupiers and their collaborators in the vicinity of Nowogródek and Lida in German-occupied Poland...
) in the World War IIWorld War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Other
- Kirk DouglasKirk DouglasKirk Douglas is an American stage and film actor, film producer and author. His popular films include Out of the Past , Champion , Ace in the Hole , The Bad and the Beautiful , Lust for Life , Paths of Glory , Gunfight at the O.K...
, of Belarusian Jewish parents - Eliezer Ben-YehudaEliezer Ben-YehudaEliezer Ben‑Yehuda was a Jewish lexicographer and newspaper editor. He was the driving spirit behind the revival of the Hebrew language in the modern era.-Biography:...
, Israeli linguist, father of modern Hebrew language, born in Luzhki near Viciebsk
See also
- List of Jews born in the former Russian Empire
- History of the Jews in BelarusHistory of the Jews in BelarusThe Jews in Belarus were the third largest ethnic group in the country in the first half of the 20th century. Before World War II, Jews were the third among the ethnic groups in Belarus, and in cities and towns comprised more than 40% of the population. The population of cities such as Minsk,...