Dubrovsky Leonid (1918-1996)

Dubrovsky (pseudonym, real surname Simkhovich) Leonid (07.05.1918, Kremenchug (Ukraine) – 14.02.1996, Riga) - circus worker, animal trainer.

In 1938, Leonid Dubrovsky began working in the circus, and in 1939, he became a bear trainer (advertised on circus posters as ‘the world's first Jewish bear trainer’). In 1940, he performed with trained lions; as a bear trainer he participated in V. Durov's attraction. Leonid Dubrovsky performed at the Riga State Circus in 1958, 1973, and 1978. He is buried in the Jewish cemetery in Riga.