Professor Herman Branover, 94, OBM

Professor Herman (Yirmiyahu) Branover was born in 1931 in Riga, Latvia, and rose to become a world-renowned physicist and pioneer in the field of magnetohydrodynamics. Despite growing up under Soviet rule and losing his father during World War II, he built a distinguished scientific career while embarking on a profound spiritual journey — secretly studying Hebrew and Jewish texts at great personal risk, and ultimately embracing Torah-observant life and Chabad Chassidus.

For 15 years he fought as a Refusenik, enduring arrest, KGB harassment, and the loss of his academic position, before finally being permitted to emigrate in 1972. He settled in Eretz Yisroel, where he continued his groundbreaking research and became an internationally sought-after speaker on the harmony between science and Torah.

Guided by a close bond with the Rebbe, Professor Branover dedicated his life to strengthening Jewish identity worldwide — founding SATEC to employ immigrants from the former Soviet Union, leading the SHAMIR Association, overseeing the Encyclopedia of Russian Jewry, and establishing schools and programs across the former Soviet republics.

He was a soft-spoken, gentle, and loving father and grandfather, and a rare embodiment of scientific brilliance and deep faith. He is survived by his son, R' Daniel Branover of Crown Heights, and his grandchildren.

יהי זכרו ברוך — May his memory be a blessing.

Source: https://collive.com/professor-herman-branover-94-obm/

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