Grisha Wasserman - Teacher and Publisher

A successful electrical engineer with the Soviet defense industries, Grisha Wasserman was fired from his job in Leningrad when he applied for permission to emigrate to Israel. He eventually found menial work as an elevator technician.

While riding up and down on the elevator, he began to study basic Jewish texts in English, brought by visitors from the West. He soon began teaching others; for nine years his lectures nurtured the Jewish renaissance in Leningrad. He inspired his students and many became prominent teachers themselves.

"We decided to translate and disseminate the English language volumes that had introduced me to my Jewish heritage. It was not a simple task. In the Soviet Union, printing facilities were unavailable. To copy the books, we would either photograph each page and develop the pictures in our own dark room, or type each copy on a typewriter. The books were then hand delivered to dozens of cities throughout the Soviet Union. In all, over 40 publications were produced."

Wasserman received his exit visa and reached Israel in 1988, joining the staff of Shvut Ami. With the organization's backing and financial support, he was able to put flesh on the primitive hand-typed volumes  prepared in Russia. He has continued to oversee the production of many new volumes carefully chosen for their potential impact on Russian audiences.

As Shvut Ami’s emissary in Haifa, Wasserman provides ongoing lectures to Russian immigrants in Israel's northern cities.  As in the past,  he continues to inspire his  students; many become accomplished teachers, teaching in  Israel’s north.