Borkum Samuil Lvovich (born 10 March 1915, Riga – died 1966, Riga) – economist.
Samuil Borkum was the son of Lev Borkum (b. 1883, Riga – d. 1918) and Fania Borkum (b. 1888, Riga – d. 1935, Riga). In 1933, he graduated from gymnasium.
From 1933 to 1934, he worked as an apprentice typesetter at the “Ekstra” printing house in Riga. Between 1934 and 1946, he was a newspaper distributor, accountant, and deputy chief accountant at the “Europa-Ost” publishing house in Riga. He served in the Latvian Army from 1937 to 1938.
From 1938 to 1941, Samuil Borkum was an accountant at the textile enterprise “Rīgas Tuku Fabrika,” which was renamed “Sarkana Atspole” after nationalisation. In 1941, he was evacuated to Chardzhou, Turkmen SSR. From 1942 to 1948, he served in the Soviet Army and was demobilised with the rank of Senior Lieutenant of the Administrative Service.
Between 1949 and 1950, he worked as a civilian and shop supervisor at the Ministry of Internal Affairs' Technical Maintenance Department (OITK) of the Latvian SSR. From 1950 to 1952, he headed the planning group at the “Dailkrasotajs” artel. Between 1952 and 1960, he worked as a labour standards specialist and supervisor in the workshops of the Riga Theatre Society.
In 1960, Samuil Borkum was convicted under Article 117-2 of the RSFSR Criminal Code and sentenced by the People’s Court of the Kirov District of Riga to two years’ imprisonment. In March 1961, the case was dismissed by the Supreme Court of the Latvian SSR.
From 1961 to 1962, he worked at the “Latgiprotorg” enterprise, and from 1962, he was Head of the Planning Department at “Latkommunproekt.” In the same year, he graduated from the correspondence programme of the Faculty of Economics at the Latvian State University.
Samuil Borkum was awarded the Order of the Red Star, as well as the medals “For Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945,” “20 Years of Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945,” and “30 Years of the Soviet Army and Navy.”
In his marriage to Etiya Borkum (née Lipshits) (b. 1914, Ventspils), two children were born: Felina Borkum (b. 1947, Riga) and Leonid Borkum (b. 1953, Riga).
Borkum’s brother Gilel Borkum (b. 1910, Riga – d. 1941) was killed during the bombing of Riga. His brother Mikhail Borkum (b. 1911, Riga – d. 1944, Riga) perished in the Holocaust.
In 1966, Samuil Borkum applied to emigrate to Israel at the invitation of his cousins Yakov Maimon (née Wasserman) (b. 1910, Riga), Moshe Maimon (b. 1912, Riga), and Natan Maimon (b. 1914, Riga).
Etiya Borkum (née Lipshits) (b. 1914, Ventspils) – wife
Felina Borkum (b. 1947, Riga) – daughter
Leonid Borkum (b. 1953, Riga) – son
Lev Borkum (1883–1918) – father
Fania Borkum (1888–1935) – mother
Gilel Borkum (1910–1941) – brother
Mikhail Borkum (1911–1944) – brother
Yakov Maimon (née Wasserman) (b. 1910, Riga) – cousin
Moshe Maimon (b. 1912, Riga) – cousin
Natan Maimon (b. 1914, Riga) – cousin