Bul Elyas Ruvinovich (b. 10 December 1925, Riga) — labourer.
Elyas Bul was born into the family of Ruvin Gershevich Bul (b. 1898, Daugavpils – murdered in the Riga Ghetto, 1941), a bookbinder, and Taibe Leibovna Bul (née unknown) (b. 1898, Jelgava – murdered in the Riga Ghetto, 1941), a homemaker.
He completed nine grades of a Jewish school in 1941.
The same year, he was imprisoned with his relatives in the Riga Ghetto, from where he was deported to Germany.
Between 1941 and 1945, he was held in the concentration camps of Stutthof, Buchenwald, and Magdeburg. He was liberated by American forces.
After the war, Elyas Bul lived in Belgium, where he worked as a diamond polisher (1945–1954). Upon returning to Riga, he worked at the 1st May factory (1954–1957), then at the Blazma factory (1957–1961).
In 1961, he was convicted by the Supreme Court of the Latvian SSR under Article 88 and sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment. He was released early and served his sentence from 1961 to 1965.
He worked for the General Construction Directorate in Liepāja (1965–1967), and again as a cutter at the 1st May factory (1967–1971).
In 1964, he learned that his sister, Chaya-Nechama Ruvinovna Golbesberg (née Bul) (b. 1930, Riga), who had also been held in the Riga Ghetto, had been deported to Germany and later emigrated to Israel (then Palestine) after liberation.
In his marriage to Khana-Rise Semenovna Bul (née Kilyun) (b. 1929, Riga), a daughter was born: Tatyana Elyasovna Bul (b. 1956, Riga).
In 1971, Elyas Bul received permission to emigrate to Israel, where his sister had been living since 1945.
Family members:
Ruvin Gershevich Bul (1898–1941) — father
Taibe Leibovna Bul (1898–1941) — mother
Iser Ruvinovich Bul (b. 1927, Riga – murdered in the Riga Ghetto, 1941) — brother
Abram Ruvinovich Bul (b. 1929, Riga – murdered in the Riga Ghetto, 1941) — brother
Chaya-Nechama Ruvinovna Golbesberg (née Bul) (b. 1930, Riga) — sister
Khana-Rise Semenovna Bul (née Kilyun) (b. 1929) — wife
Tatyana Elyasovna Bul (b. 1956) — daughter