June 20, 1885
On this day, in a small Jewish place of Mezen of the Chernihiv region, the future scientist Boris Lvovich Brook was born in a poor family of a craftsman.
Since 1928, the period of the scientist’s life associated with our area begins.
In a number of autobiographies, Brooke celebrates his participation under the leadership of academician V. R. Williams in the famous expedition of the comzet “On the Study of the Biro-Bijansky District of the DEVK for the Land of Jews”, emphasizing that “was the head of this expedition and the organizer of resettlement work during these years.” In 1929, his book “Birobidzhan” (0+) was published.
In 1933, his family moved to Birobidzhan. From the personal documents of Boris Lvovich it is known that he himself was the initiator of the move. In one of the documents of the family archive there are dates of the beginning and end of this most fruitful period of his life – from 11/29/1934 to 07/01/1938
Boris Lvovich Brooke with his family. Photo: Photo: Gosarchive EAO
In 1935, B. L. Brooke was marked by the title of drummer for the extremely valuable work of the “direction of agriculture of the Jewish Autonomous Region (planned zoning)” and wide public work in the region.
In 1936, the qualification commission of the All -Union Academy of Agricultural Sciences named after V. I. Lenin, by her decision, decided Boris Lvovich Bruka “to approve the degree of candidate of agricultural sciences without defending the dissertation.” Boris Brooke unfolds a great research work on the study of the possibilities of developing agriculture in local soil and climatic conditions. The station was interested in the work of the station, they came here from Argentina, Australia, Palestines, and helped equipment.
In 1937, the director of the experimental station E. Minotsky was arrested. B. L. Brooke was dismissed from his position.
According to the extract from the order of Oblono No. 296 of July 15, 1938, Bruka is sent to the Birobidzhan city as a teacher of mathematics. For five years he taught mathematics at school number 1.
At the end of 1938, when the state terror in the country began to weaken, B. Bruka was invited to work in the scientific commission, created in 1935 by the first chairman of the regional executive committee I. I. Libergberg. The report of B. Olevsky considers the “Regulation on the Scientific Commission”, where it is noted that “Comrade Brooke was invited as a researcher in the section of local history.” The list of works carried out by the Scientific Commission is given, including the organization in Birobidzhan Museum of Local Generation. The Presidium of the Regional Executive Committee decided: “The organizer and head of the local history museum to approve Comrade Bruka, an employee of the scientific commission, who is entrusted with submitting the estimate and staffing of the museum up to 1/1940.”
In July 1943, Boris Lvovich moves with his family to Khabarovsk.
In Khabarovsk, Boris Lvovich is going to work as a teacher of the Secondary Agricultural School. In subsequent years, Boris Lvovich writes articles in central and local publications, works on memories, which, of course, are not published anywhere.
Of the published studies by B. L. Bruka, more than thirty scientific works are stored in the Museum of Local Lore of the EAO and the regional archive. However, the available documents have not yet been completely studied, and all the works written by him have not been taken into account.
The professor worked selflessly until the end of his days. He died in 1979 at the age of 94.
The memorial plaque to Boris Brook. Photo: Photo: Archive of IA EAMEDIA
Boris Lvovich Brooke entered the history of the Jewish Autonomous Region as a researcher, a scientist as a person who gave his best years of the Far Eastern land. He was posthumously awarded the title “Honorary Resident of the Jewish Autonomous Region”.
A great contribution to the study of the biography, scientific and literary heritage of Professor B. L. Bruka was made by I. S. Brener.
Cutting from the newspaper “Birobidzhan Star”. Photo: Photo: Regional Library
June 20, 1941
In the “Birobidzhan Star” (12+) for June 20, 1941, a biographical certificate of the Deputy Chairman of the Oblast Executive Committee of the EAO, nominated by a candidate for deputies of the Nationalities of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR Zilrstein M. N., was published on the first page
The lines of the dry official biography say that Mikhail Naftulovich Zilrstein was born in 1912 in the city of Berdichev, Zhytomyr region (according to other sources, he was born in 1914). His father was an employee, his mother worked as a cleaner.
Until 1929, M. N. Zilrstein studied at a professional school to the carpentry craft, then, after graduating from school, worked at the production of a joiner. Then, at the age of 16, Zilrstein joined the ranks of the Lenin Komsomol.
In 1930, he entered the third year of the industrial technical school for mechanical woodworking (the city of Belaya Church, Ukrainian SSR).
Mikhail Naftulovich Zilrstein. Photo: Photo: Gosarchive EAO
In 1932, at the end of the College of the Central Committee of the Komsomol, he sent him to work in the Birobidzha Jewish National District (now the Jewish Autonomous Region). Here, until 1938, he worked at the managerial work by the technical director, then the chairman of the board of the Birobidzhan cooperative-chromatic furniture factory named after Dimitrova.
From April to October 1938, M. N. Zilrstein worked at the leading Komsomol work – the secretary of the Birobidzhan city committee of the Komsomol.
He joined the ranks of the CPSU (b) in 1939.
Since November 1939, Zilrstein worked as deputy chairman of the Birobidzhan City Council of Workers' deputies.
In 1940, the first session of the regional council of deputies of workers of the Jewish Autonomous Region M. N. Zilrstein was elected First Deputy Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Regional Council of Workers' Deputies.
M. N. Zilrstein – member of the Plenum of the Regional Committee of the CPSU (B.), Deputy of the Regional Council of Workers' Deputies.
