27 March 2008 marks the 10th anniversary of the death of Lazar Markovich Kreichman - a great man and an excellent builder.

Lazar Markovich was born in 1915 in Odessa. He started to work in 1931 as a lathe operator, and later was admitted to the Odessa Institute of Civil and Communal Building and Engineering. He was one of the best students and a devoted sportsman.

After finishing the Institute in 1939, Kreichman was offered employment in "Volgostroy", where he took part in the construction of the Moscow-Volga channel, which was one of the most significant projects at the time. In 1941, at the commencement of the World War II, he and his team were assigned to build defence structures around Moscow. This was a difficult time for all the builders, as every day they were subjected to bombardment and gunfire. For his contribution Kreichman was awarded a medal "For defending Moscow". Later he was ordered to Nizhniy Tagil to fortify the defence of industrial plants, where he had to endure freezing conditions. In both "Volgostroy and "Tagilstroy" Kreichman worked under General-Major of the Engineering and Technical service, Yacov Davydovich Rapport, whose deep knowledge, talent and compassion had a great influence on the development of Lazar Markovich.

After the war ended, the work was abundant. During the National building projects work continued twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. The rare moments Lazar Markovich spent with his family were a real treat for his relatives. During his work at Ural Kreichman met many extraordinary people, including the first president of the Russian Federation, B. Eltsin.

Lazar Markovich’s connection with Kazakhstan began in 1960, when he was promoted to the post of the Head Building Engineer of Kazakhstan Sovnarhoz. Projects, such as Sokolov-Sobrayskiy ore enrichment plant, Dzhetygarinskiy Asbestos plant, Kazakhselmash factory, many residential and community constructions in the Northern Kazakhstan were built under his guidance.

Lazar Markovich was awarded two orders and five medals for his contribution to the elevation of community and industrial sites.

In addition to his work, Lazar Markovich had many hobbies, such as fishing and picking mushrooms, and was always surrounded by a circle of close friends. He was a great entertainer: he had perfect pitch and could play any popular song or melody on the piano, and remembered a vast amount of poetry and jokes.

Lazar Markovich was always proud and open about his Jewish heritage, even in the most difficult times. He was an active member of the Jewish community of Astana, the Regional Jewish Cultural and Educational Community "Alef" and an energetic participant of Hesed since its foundation.

M. L. Kreichman.