My son Alexandr Rozenfeld and his wife Tatiana Zevakina, on their wedding day in Kiev in 1972.
In 1965 Alexandr finished school brilliantly. Alexandr decided to enter Mechanic Machine Building Faculty in Moscow State University. We were surprised that he managed to enter it without any acquaintances or help. Many Jewish students joined Moscow University that year: the authorities must have cancelled the quota of Jewish admission. Alexandr studied his first year in Moscow and then got a transfer to Kazan University for personal reasons. He studied well. Alexandr obtained a job assignment free diploma, when he could find a job where he liked. He returned to Kiev, but he couldn’t find work for a long time. Though he was a brilliant mathematician, he failed to get employment in the Institute of Cybernetics or Institute of Mathematic. Our acquaintances helped him to get a job at the Institute of Town Planning. In 1978 Alexandr defended his candidate dissertation, and in 1988 he defended his doctor’s dissertation.
In 1972 after finishing his college my son married Tatiana Zevakina, a Ukrainian girl. My wife and I bought a cooperative apartment for them on our saving and what we borrowed from our friends. In 1973 their son Dmitriy was born.
In 1980s my son became the first Rector of the Solomon University in Kiev [Jewish University in Kiev, established in 1995], at his friends' recommendation. It is the center of Jewish culture and history, but not only. Russian and Ukrainian intelligentsia representatives want to study here. My daughter-in-law Tatiana teaches German in the University.
