Vladimir Margulis
Professor/Teacher - Thornhill
Tell us about yourself.
Though my legal name is Vladimir, my mother called me Velvele. I was named after her father. At the synagogue, Rabbi Karpov in Moscow calls me Reb Velvel. My first thesis, for my PhD, was in chemistry, and I defended it in the USSR Academy of Sciences under the leadership of Alexander the Great Electrochemist Naumovich Frumkin. Later, I attended the University of Moscow, where I became an assistant professor, and then opened the department of "Fundamentals of Natural History." I was engaged in educational programs, and defended my doctoral thesis on "Pedagogy and Psychology of Continuing Education." To this day, I consult on the work of the department, with a weekly conference call from Moscow.
Where is your family from, and how long have you live in Ontario?
My mother is from the village of Bershad, Ukraine, and my father is from the village of Rybnitsa, Moldova. My parents met in Odessa, and married there, but went to live near my father’s parents in Rybnitsa. (Incidentally, their home was near that of the famous Rybnitser Rebbe, who was meticulous about the holiness of the mikvah, and despite difficult circumstances he would find a way to immerse in a mikvah. If it was winter, he would break through the ice of the frozen river and immerse in the icy water. We moved to Ontario in 2005, and moved to Thornhill shortly thereafter, in 2006.
Why did you choose to live in Thornhill?
In 1999, at the invitation of friends, we came to visit Canada. I loved Toronto and its strong Jewish atmosphere. Our visit coincided with the celebration of Rosh Hashanah, in which I participated. In 2006, I was shown an apartment in a building at the intersection of Yonge and Clark, which I liked, and since then we have lived in this building in Thornhill.
What do you do in your free time? Do you have any hobbies?
My life is divided into two halves: For six months of the year, I work at the University of Moscow, and the second half I live in Toronto. In Moscow, I attend the synagogue of Rabbi Dovid Karpov, and while in Toronto I join Rabbi Mendel Zaltzman at the JRCC East Thornhill. I love to cook. In our family, I cook, mostly vegetables and fish. I also love to read, and to listen to good music. Wherever I’ve lived, my space quickly becomes cluttered with books, among which Jewish holy books occupy a place of honor: The Five Books of Moses (Torah), the Prophets, the Psalms of King David, Siddur, Machzor, numerous dictionaries and reference books, etc. Special value for me are the tapes in 1977, in which my dad singing Pasover songs. Every year before the Passover holiday, we listen to them with pleasure: they remind me of the days of my childhood, how my dad spent the Passover Seder.
If you were given the opportunity to meet anyone, alive or dead, who would you choose, and why?
If I really had the chance, I'd love to spend time with my father, Baruch Ben Eliokim Getselev, and my grandfather, Eliokim Getselev ben Meir. I would tell them thank you for everything and wished them "Lihtige Gan Aiden.” They are an example for me Yiddishkeit (Judaism) and menchlichkeit (decency).
When did you begin participating in JRCC programs?
Once arrived in Canada, I began to go to the JRCC synagogue and participate in the programs of the centre, especially Jewish holiday programs, since I consider myself a religious person.
What are your future plans?
I try not to make far-reaching plans. But every day I thank G‑d for the gift of another new day!
