Iofe V. New studies on optimism: Collection of articles and speeches

Iofe Veniamin Viktorovich

Genus. 06/29/1938 in Ufa. In 1955 he graduated from a secondary school in Leningrad, in 1962 he graduated from the Leningrad Institute of Chemical Technology (process engineer, chemist). Postgraduate student of VNIISK (Institute of Synthetic Rubber). Since 1964, he has been an employee of the illegal socio-political journal Kolokol, and the author of articles on the prospects for political and industrial democracy in the USSR. Arrested on 06/12/1965 in the Kolokola case, sentenced on 11/26/1965 by the Leningrad City Court under articles 70 part 1 and 72 of the RSFSR Criminal Code (anti-Soviet propaganda and agitation as part of a group) to 3 years in a strict regime camp. He served his term in the Mordovian camps (Dubravlag). After his release, he worked as an engineer, senior technologist of the linoleum shop of the Polymerstroymaterialy plant (1969–1976), then as a setup engineer for treatment facilities of the Leningrad commissioning department of the Lenselkhozmontazh trust (1976–1982); after dismissal related to “prophylaxis” by the KGB, he was a commissioning engineer of the specialized commissioning department of the Leninzhstroy trust (1982–1990). In the 1970s–1980s actively participated in the socio-political life of the city, studied the history of the political opposition in the USSR. Since 1976 he has been a regular participant in the historical collections "Memory" (Moscow-Paris, 1976-1982) - the author of publications on the history of the political underground in the USSR under the pseudonyms S. Peskov and S.D. Rozhdestvensky. Participated in the publication of the abstract journal samizdat “Summa” (1979–1982). In 1982 he was officially warned by the KGB in connection with his participation in the work of the Russian Public Fund (Fund for Assistance to the Families of Political Prisoners), dismissed from his job. Since 1988 he has been the chairman of the historical and archival commission, since 1989 he has been co-chairman of the St. Petersburg Memorial Society. In 1992, he created the Memorial Research and Information Center (archive, library, publishing house), director of the Memorial Research Center and editor-in-chief of the Memorial Research Center Publishing House, scientific director of the Historical Collections series and the almanac Memorial Bulletin. In 2000 he created the Educational Center (reading room, museum, discussion club, cinema center). He died on April 20, 2002 in St. Petersburg on the escalator of the metro station.