Fridman (Friedmann) Valdi Fayvishovich (11 March 1940, Daugavpils, then Dvinsk) — mechanical engineer.
Valdi Fridman was born into the family of party officials Faivish Yakovlevich Fridman (born 1908, Grīva, Latvia) and Gesya Berkovna Fridman (née Ginzburg) (born 1911, Dvinsk). In 1941 he was evacuated to the Bashkir ASSR, where he lived in the collective farm “Ishgiryak” in the Buzdyak district until 1944.
After returning to Latvia, he studied at Riga Secondary School No. 23 (1947–1957). He then studied at and graduated from the Bauman Moscow Higher Technical School (1957–1963).
After moving to Riga, he worked as a design engineer at the “Kommutator” plant (1963–1966), as an engineer and senior engineer at the Riga Polytechnic Institute (1966–1969), as a design engineer at the Riga Machine-Building and Instrument Plant (1969–1974), and at the design bureau “Orbita” (1974–1980).
He was first married to Tatyana Evgenyevna Fridman (née Leybina) (born 1945, Chelyabinsk). Their daughter is Karina Valdievna Fridman (born 1971, Riga). The marriage was dissolved in 1974; in 1977 his former wife emigrated to Israel with their daughter.
He later married Riva Abramovna Fridman (née Lifshits, first marriage Livshits) (born 1946, Riga); the couple had no children.
In 1980 Valdi Fridman received permission to emigrate to Israel, where since 1975 the aunt of his second wife (her mother’s sister), Faina Semenovna Zitser (née Frid) (born 1926, Varakļāni), had been living, and since 1979 his younger brother, Yakov Fayvishovich Fridman (born 1946, Riga), had also resided.
Family:
Faivish Yakovlevich Fridman (1908) — father
Gesya Berkovna Fridman (née Ginzburg) (1911) — mother
Yakov Fayvishovich Fridman (1946, Riga) — brother
Tatyana Evgenyevna Fridman (née Leybina) (1945) — first wife
Karina Valdievna Fridman (1971, Riga) — daughter
Riva Abramovna Fridman (née Lifshits, first marriage Livshits) (1946) — second wife
Alexander Lvovich Livshits (1967, Riga) — stepson
Faina Semenovna Zitser (née Frid) (1926) — aunt of second wife