Thread by @akoz33

When I worked in the Untied States (I was an assistant professor at Wayne State University in Detroit during the period 1984-1990) Jewish emigration from the USSR to Israel and the United States was only beginning. There were many mathematicians among these immigrants and

https://twitter.com/izatabaro/status/1406858282258599936

the strength of Soviet mathematics (and particularly Soviet Jewish mathematics) was such that soon they begin to be present at most research universities. We acquired at least 5, they were all stars of our department. I became close friend with many and soon started living as de

facto member of the household of one, with whom I keep in touch to this day. My wife was living and working in Japan & we had a daughter who was born only 2 years old when I went to the US from Japan in search of a university job, so it was very convenient to have a

Russian-Jewish surrogate family in the US and not having to worry about renting accommodation (or even making my own food 😀). Everybody in the house spoke Russian (I was not the only adopted family member, another one was a remarkable Jewish-Russian businessman, now a

multi-millionaire, but then a penniless mathematics graduate student, whose name was Grisha and who was a fascinating character - I should write something about him some day). Anyway, all my years in the US I spent as an adopted member of this emerging emigre Russian-Jewish

so this article strongly resonates in me.