Konstantin Razvozov — politician with roots in the USSR
Konstantin Razvozov is an Israeli politician and former Olympic judoka born in Birobidzhan — the capital of the Jewish Autonomous Oblast, Stalin's designated Jewish homeland in the Soviet Far East. He emigrated to Israel in 1993, competed as a judoka at the 2004 Athens Olympics, and became Israel's Minister of Tourism.
Tracing the roots — Birobidzhan (Russia)
Born in Birobidzhan in 1979 — the Soviet-created Jewish Autonomous Region established in 1934 as an alternative Jewish homeland in the Russian Far East, where Yiddish was an official language — Razvozov carries one of the most historically resonant birthplaces in the entire database. His journey from Stalin's would-be Jewish homeland to Israeli Cabinet minister is a remarkable arc of Jewish 20th-century history.
Judo champion turned Tourism Minister.
Birobidzhan (Russia). At the time, this region was one of the fifteen republics of the Soviet Union.