Hirshovich (Hirschowitch, Girshovich) Alexander Sergeyevich (b. 19 February 1937, Riga) – radio technician.
Alexander’s parents, Serezha-Imerel Hirshovich (b. 1911) and Beila Hirshovich (b. 1912), worked at the pharmacy in Krustpils before the war. In July 1941, the family was evacuated eastward to Sarapul in the Udmurt ASSR. After his father's demobilisation—he had served as a senior sergeant and was awarded the Order of the Red Star and the Medal “For Courage”—the family returned to Riga.
In 1956, Alexander Hirshovich enrolled at the Leningrad Institute of Fine Mechanics and Optics. An active and passionate sportsman, he was expelled in 1958 due to academic underperformance, though he continued to work in the department as a laboratory assistant. His planned reinstatement never materialised, as he was conscripted into the army and served in Murmansk Oblast. Upon demobilisation, with the rank of corporal, he returned to Riga.
From 1962 to 1964, he worked as a radio technician for the Latvian Directorate of the Television Relay Network. He earned his degree in radio engineering from Riga Polytechnic Institute in 1969. He also served as a lay judge at the Moscow District Court and was a member of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1967 to 1975. In 1975, Alexander Hirshovich emigrated with his family to Israel for permanent residence.
While studying in Leningrad, he met his future wife, Alla Shmulovich (b. 1939); they married in 1962, and in 1963, their son Mark Hirshovich was born.
His father’s brother, Iosif Hirshovich (b. 1904), emigrated from Latvia to Belgium in 1928 in search of employment. A childhood amputee (he lost a leg in a tram accident), he had difficulty finding work at home. In Belgium, he established his own business, receiving a license to trade with Soviet seamen arriving in Antwerp. In 1972, he retired and relocated with his wife to Tel Aviv.
Family:
– Wife: Alla Hirshovich (née Shmulovich, b. 1939)
– Father: Serezha-Imerel Hirshovich (b. 1911)
– Mother: Beila Hirshovich (b. 1912)
– Son: Mark Hirshovich (b. 1963)
– Paternal uncle: Iosif Hirshovich (b. 1904)