Monday, December 29, 2025
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I learned yesterday that Igor passed away. I had known him for a long time, since I was a kid and since my uncle Moisey married his sister, Sofia. He was a very soft-spoken and gentle man, which always felt unusual to me given my experience with my loud family.
My family had a tradition of big gatherings in our Moscow flat, where all close and distant relatives were invited. A big, loud Jewish family was the norm, especially considering the number of children at that time. It was a real mishpachah. As a result, many people came, it was crowded, food and drinks were served and enjoyed, and the evening was always followed by home-grown entertainment.
So, we met quite a few times.
My family tried to teach me to play the piano, probably remembering the great success of Jascha Heifetz and assuming every Jewish boy could do the same. That was a mistake. My talent for performing music and playing the piano took me only a few small steps from where I started. A complete lack of musical talent and ear was most likely the reason I didn’t progress. Igor, on the other hand, was a much better musician. When he played, everybody sat quietly and listened. I remember probably annoying him by asking how to play some of the popular songs of that time. He wasn’t very happy about it, but he tried anyway. Fortunately, I quickly realized my limits and didn’t bother him much. I came to understand that whatever I did, it would never come close to his talent.
Many years later, Igor was the one who signed an affidavit of support that opened the door for my family to come to the United States. It was a brave and risky step for one immigrant to promise financial support for another — and I couldn’t even play the piano. But he did it.
Thankfully, everything worked out, and our family is forever grateful to Lilia, Igor, and his entire family, who inherited many of his best qualities — including the looks.
I had a small opportunity to repay him by helping to create a mechanical device for a project he was working on. It was a tiny job, but it worked, and he was happy to see his effort wasn’t wasted.
Igor is no longer with us, but his legacy lives on in his children, grandchildren, and in the people who know and remember him.
We will always remember him.
Rest in peace, dear Igor.
