Mikhail Levi

Misha was born on August 6, 1927, in Leningrad, USSR. He was the youngest child, with two older brothers, Gregory and Boris, and a sister, Emilia. His father was a craftsman and an entrepreneur and managed to live independently of the State. The family lived a happy and comfortable life in the center of St. Petersburg.

Their happy life was upended by the start of WWII. His two brothers, mother, and father perished during the war. Mikhail, who was 13 at the time, was evacuated from Leningrad -- barely alive but able to survive. He finished his education and became a civil engineer. The Soviet State was not kind to him. Following the end of the war, a wave of antisemitism swept Russia, and Mikhail was exiled to Murmansk to serve in the Red Army as a form of punishment. Again, he survived and returned to the city of his birth in 1955.

Shortly thereafter, he met a young lady who later became his lifelong partner, friend and wife, and mother to their son Alex. Happy years followed, but old wounds never healed. In 1979, Mikhail and Ester came to America to join their son, and they reunited as free people.

The last 40-plus years were a rewarding stretch of his life, filled with the career he enjoyed, world travel, friends, and family. Mikhail adored his granddaughters, Erika and Elizabeth, and was incredibly proud of their accomplishments. When his great-grandson, Max, was born, he was struck with love, and a smile was always on his face when he saw Max and listened to his stories.

We'll remember Mikhail as a strong mensch who survived unimaginable horror, as a loyal family man, and as a gentleman from St. Petersburg.

A chapel service for Mikhail will be held Thursday, January 23, 2025 from 1:30 PM to 2:15 PM at Parkside Memorial Chapels, 114-03 Queens Blvd, Forest Hills, NY 11375. Following the chapel service will be a committal service from 2:45 PM to 3:15 PM at Mount Carmel Cemetery, 83-45 Cypress Hills St, New York, NY 11385.