When war started in 1941, Fima's family lived in an apartment with four other families who they did not know.  There was no practicing of any kind of religion as this was against the law.  In 1941, as the Nazis were advancing to Moscow, Fima and his family were moved to the Ural Mountains until 1944.  They lived in a house with a woman whose husband and son were in the Russian Army.  In 1944, only two from a family could move back to Moscow so Fima and his father left for Moscow and his mother, brother and sister moved back a few months later.  They moved back to the same apartment they lived in at the start of the war and had one room in that apartment.  Fima's father died of a stroke in 1945 and his mother raised the children by herself.  At that time she was working as a manager at a Blood lab but the hours were too much and the children needed her home more so she quit and took a job as a pharmacist.  The children attended school although there was still quite a bit of antisemitism.  The saying among the school children was "beat a Jew, save Russia".  Fima and his brother were threatened by other boys at school.  After eighth grade, Fima went to a vocational school where he obtained his technical degree and was accepted at Moscow University.  At that time, he got his draft notice for the Russian Army and his mother told him even though he didn't have to go for military service because of being accepted at University, he should go because his brother had to go. The university said they would hold his spot but when Fima finished his service, all spots were full.  He enrolled in Moscow Civil Engineer Institute and after graduation worked as a manager of mechanics.  He then went to Moscow University in night school as Jews were not allowed to attend day classes.  In 1972, Fima graduated with his Master's and obtained a PhD.    After this, because Fima and his wife were Refuseniks, they lost their jobs and could not work because they were not loyal to the government.  This was a very difficult time for them and in 1987 they were able to come to the United States and settle in Detroit.  Fima's mother and sister had already left for Israel and decided to settle there.  Fima could not find a job right away and after about a year someone told him to not say he had a PhD but just a Master's degree and he finally found a job as an engineer.  

Keep your heritage and identity.  Remember who you are.  Never hide who you are.