Coffin resources

The purpose of this repository is to preserve, translate, and digitise the documents and references that pertain to the "Coffin problems".

It serves to aid in the work of cataloguing such mathematical problems, which is carried out in the repository coffins.

Status

Work is at a very early stage.

Documents

Warning

The currently available material is unfinished.

At the moment, the following are the included documents:

• Selected problems from the entrance examinations at Mekhmat in Moscow State University, in the years 1979, 1982, 1986.
• Handwritten notebooks by Tanya Khovanova, from the Soviet Union's 1975 IMO preparation camp.

Downloads are available in these formats:

• PDF: PDF document
• EPUB MathML: reflowable ebook, with math content in MathML format;
• EPUB SVG: reflowable ebook, with math content rendered as SVG;

Note

At the moment, EPUB files are not provided due to failing to compile.

Selected problems from the entrance examinations at Mekhmat in Moscow State University, in the years 1979, 1982, 1986.

It is unclear whether the problems collected in these documents are from the oral examinations, from the written examinations, or from both, and it is unclear whether they are all coffin problems.
The documents mention that candidates were given no more than 20 minutes to solve each problem; but the 1986 document mentions at problem 12 that "at the written exam at MIPT, where this problem was proposed, five hours were given to solve four problems": it is unclear if this comment is supposed to mean the the same problem was also given in MITP at the written exam, while proposed at the oral exam in MSU.

	Original	Transcription			Translation
		PDF	EPUB MathML	EPUB SVG	PDF	EPUB MathML	EPUB SVG
zadachi-1979	Here (archive)	Download	(Not yet available)	(Not yet available)	Download	(Not yet available)	(Not yet available)
zadachi-1982	Here (archive)	Download	(Not yet available)	(Not yet available)	Download	(Not yet available)	(Not yet available)
zadachi-1986	Here (archive)	Download	(Not yet available)	(Not yet available)	Download	(Not yet available)	(Not yet available)

Tanya Khovanova's notebooks from 1975 IMO training camp

At the 1975 training camp for Soviet Union's team for the International Mathematical Olympiad, Valery Senderov asked the students for help in solving a collection of coffin problems.
The following are Tanya Khovanova's notebooks about the coffin problems from that camp:

• khovanova-notes consists of some loose pages.
• khovanova-notebook-1 is a notebook containing problems and some solution attempts; many of the problems are the same as the previous ones, but there are some differences.
• khovanova-notebook-2 contains the solution, or attempts, to the first 44 problems from the previous notebook.

	Original	Transcription			Translation
		PDF	EPUB MathML	EPUB SVG	PDF	EPUB MathML	EPUB SVG
khovanova-notes	Here	Download	(Not yet available)	(Not yet available)	Download	(Not yet available)	(Not yet available)
khovanova-notebook-1	Here	Download	(Not yet available)	(Not yet available)	Download	(Not yet available)	(Not yet available)
khovanova-notebook-2	Here	Download	(Not yet available)	(Not yet available)	Download	(Not yet available)	(Not yet available)

Contributing

More details are provided in CONTRIBUTING.md.

Here is a non-exhaustive list of ways to contribute:

• provide additional documents and sources to be digitised or translated (this also includes resources that are already available in multiple formats and/or multiple languages, since sometimes each version carries meaningful differences);
• help faithfully translating Russian documents to English (even those that have an English version available, since in some cases there are differences);
• submit scans of documents that are not otherwise available online, or better scans of documents than those that are currently available;
• help accurately digitising the documents listed here;
• help faithfully translating the documents listed here;
• report errors, inaccuracies, etc;
• suggest improvements to the transcriptions, translations, etc;
• suggest possible improvements to the LaTeX source code;
• sift through the cited references to see if there are mentioned other resources.
• help to identify other sources, perhaps not available online but stored in University archives.
• get access to original physical documents.
• help contacting people that might be able to help further in any way.

See CONTRIBUTING.md for more details.

Building

Requirements

The documents are typeset in LaTeX, and can be generated from the source code with any TeX distribution.

Generate PDF

To generate the PDF file of a specific document, navigate to its directory and run the following command from within that directory:

latexmk main.tex

The resulting file is placed in the output directory, and the intermediate auxiliary files are placed in the build directory.

TeX engines

Compilation is possible with the pdfLaTeX and LuaLaTeX compilation engines; the engine used by default is LuaLaTeX.

To compile with pdfLaTeX, set the -pdflatex option when running latexmk:

latexmk -pdflatex main.tex

or change $pdf_mode = 4 to $pdf_mode = 1 in the latexmkrc file.

Generate ebook

Warning

Ebook generation is currently not reliable.

Note

It is recommended to have tidy installed.

For generating an ebook in EPUB3 format, run this command from within the directory of the desired document:

tex4ebook -B ../build_epub3 -d ../output -f epub3 main.tex mathml

This generates the document in EPUB version 3, with mathematical notation encoded in the MathML format.

Important

The MathML-encoded results are currently broken: the generated documents have incomplete formulas, and messed up text and formatting.
Encoding Maths content as svg or png produces more usable results, though some issues persist.

For SVG Maths, use this command:

tex4ebook -B ../build_ebook_svg -d ../output -f epub main.tex svg

For PNG Maths, use this command:

tex4ebook -B ../build_ebook_png -d ../output -f epub main.tex png

Note

The epub option in the above two commands can be replaced by any format among epub, epub3, mobi, azw, azw3; but in order to generate ebooks in mobi, azw and azw3 formats, calibre needs to be installed, because tex4ebook uses the command ebook-convert, provided by calibre.

Note

The commands described above use PDFTeX as engine. Compilation with LuaTeX is currently not working.
In any case, to use LuaTeX as engine anyway, use tex4ebook -l in place of tex4ebook in the commands.

Reproducible builds

PDF builds are reproducible.
In order to reproduce a PDF build, use the same TeX distribution, version, and engine as the target file, set the environment variable SOURCE_DATE_EPOCH to match that of the target build (and consider setting FORCE_SOURCE_DATE=1 too), and use the same -jobname as the target:

SOURCE_DATE_EPOCH=0 FORCE_SOURCE_DATE=1 latexmk main.tex -jobname="jobname"

All the required parameters can be found here.

PDF standards compliance

The PDF files are conformant with the PDF/A-4f standard, and the accessibility standards PDF/UA-2 and WTPDF-1.0 (Well-Tagged PDF); their PDF version is PDF 2.0.

When building the project from source, by default the standard is set to PDF/A-2u, with PDF version PDF 1.7.

For building PDFs satisfying the other standards (PDF/A-4f, PDF/UA-2, WTPDF-1.0, PDF 2.0) compile with this command:

latexmk -g -usepretex='\def\TAGPDF{}' main.tex

Note

A TeX distribution version from 2025 or later is required for this. Additionally, compilation needs to be performed with LuaLaTeX (not with PDFLaTeX).

It is also possible to build PDF files satisfying the PDF/A-3a standard and the accessibility standard PDF/UA-1, under PDF version PDF 1.7; to do so, compile with this command:

latexmk -g -usepretex='\def\PDFAA{}' main.tex

Note

A TeX distribution version from 2025 or later is required for this. Additionally, compilation needs to be performed with LuaLaTeX (not with PDFLaTeX).

Compliance validation

Verifying that a PDF file is conformant to certain PDF standards can be done with VeraPDF, either online at https://demo.verapdf.org/, or locally. To test a PDF file locally, run the following command (note that it requires VeraPDF to be installed):

verapdf --flavour 0 --format text path/to/file.pdf

Contact

The project can be contacted at:

• project email address: coffin-problems@proton.me
• mantainer: luciano.spettoli@protonmail.com

License

This work focuses on preserving, translating, and digitising existing documents for better accessibility.
Each document's copyright belongs to its original authors and copyright holders.
All documents made available here are already freely publicly available in their original forms from the documented references.

References

Below is the list of resources.

Note

The references are also available in bib format in the file references.bib

• Tanya Khovanova, Alexey Radul: Jewish Problems, 2011. (Preprint of Killer Problems).

  • doi: 10.48550/arXiv.1110.1556
  • URL: https://arxiv.org/abs/1110.1556 (archived here)

• Tanya Khovanova, Alexey Radul: Killer Problems, 2012. In The American Mathematical Monthly, volume 119.10, pages 815–823.

  • doi: amer.math.monthly.119.10.815

• Tanya Khovanova: Main list of math "coffin" problems, 2005.

  • URL: https://www.tanyakhovanova.com/Coffins/coffinsmain.html (archived here)

• Tanya Khovanova: Math “coffin” submitted by others, 2008.

  • URL: https://www.tanyakhovanova.com/Coffins/othercoffins.html (archived here)

• Jay Egenhoff: Math as a tool of anti-semitism, 2014. In The Mathematics Enthusiast, volume 11.3, article 11, pages 649–664.

  • doi: 10.54870/1551-3440.1320
  • URL https://scholarworks.umt.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1320&context=tme (archived here)

• Alexander Khaniyevich Shen: Entrance examinations to the Mekh-mat, 1994. In The Mathematical Intelligencer, volume 16.4, pages 6–10.

  • doi: 10.1142/9789812701169_0008
  • URL: http://www.3038.org/press/shen.pdf (archived here)
  • Russian version: https://www.lirmm.fr/~ashen/alexander-shen.narod.ru/vershik.pdf (archived here) and at https://alexander-shen.narod.ru/vershik.pdf (archived here)

• Ilan Vardi: Mekh-Mat entrance examinations problems, 2000. (The final version of the document is contained in You failed your math test, Comrade Einstein by Mikhail Arkadyevich Shifman, at pages 22–95).

  • doi: 10.1142/9789812701169_0001
  • URL: https://www.lix.polytechnique.fr/Labo/Ilan.Vardi/mekh-mat.ps, (archived here); PDF version: https://www.tanyakhovanova.com/Coffins/Vardi-solutions.pdf (archived here)

• Boris Ilyich Kanevsky, Valery Anatolievich Senderov: Intellectual Genocide: entrance examinations for Jews at MGU, MFTI, MIFP, 1980. (Available in You failed your math test, Comrade Einstein by Mikhail Arkadyevich Shifman, at pages 129–152).

  • doi: 10.1142/9789812701169_0004
  • Russian version: https://www.lirmm.fr/~ashen/senderov/ig-text.pdf (archived here)
  • Original typewritten document: https://www.lirmm.fr/~ashen/senderov/ig-color.djvu (archived here)

• Grigory Abelevich Freiman: It seems I am a Jew, 1980 (Southern Illinois University Press).

  • URL: https://archive.org/details/freiman-english-it-seems-i-am-a-jew and https://www.lirmm.fr/~ashen/senderov/freiman-english.pdf (archived here)
  • Russian version: https://archive.org/details/freiman-rus-tex and https://www.lirmm.fr/~ashen/senderov/freiman-rus-tex.pdf (archived here)

• Melvyn Bernard Nathanson: Appendix B, 1979, to It seems I am a Jew by Grigory Abelevich Freiman, 1980, pages 95–96.

• Moscow Helsinki Group: Discrimination against Jews in University Admissions, 1979.

  • URL: https://www.lirmm.fr/~ashen/senderov/mhg-112+pril.pdf (archived here)

• Boris Ilyich Kanevsky, Valery Anatolievich Senderov: Admission results of graduates of six Moscow Schools to the Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics at Moscow State University, 1979; appendix to Discrimination against Jews in University Admissions by Moscow Helsinki Group.

• Aleksandr Sergeyevich Demidov: On entrance examinations (conclusions and proposals based on analysis of documentary data).

  • URL: https://www.lirmm.fr/~ashen/senderov/demidov.pdf (archived here)

• Edward Vladimirovich Frenkel: Love and Math: the heart of hidden reality, 2013 (Basic Books), chapter 3.

  • URL of the relevant excerpt: https://www.newcriterion.com/issues/2012/10/the-fifth-problem-math-anti-semitism-in-the-soviet-union
  • Russian version: https://inosmi.ru/20121111/202009718.html (archived here)
  • Book webpage: https://www.edwardfrenkel.com/lovemath/
  • ISBN: 978-0-465-06995-8

• Mikhail Arkadyevich Shifman: You failed your math test, Comrade Einstein, 2005 (World Scientific).

  • doi: 10.1142/5791
  • URL: https://www-users.cse.umn.edu/~shifman/EinsteinBook.pdf (archived here)
  • ISBN: 978-9-812-56358-3

• Mikhail Arkadyevich Shifman: Through the prizm of time — Angles of reflection, Epilogue to “Comrade Einstein”.

  • URL: https://www-users.cse.umn.edu/~shifman/Epilogue_12_28_2016.pdf (archived here)
  • Updated version: https://www.lirmm.fr/~ashen/senderov/shifman2020.pdf (archived here) and https://www.academia.edu/23377054/; another updated version, differing only in the last two pages, is available at https://www.academia.edu/101548394/

• Sergei Lvovich Tabachnikov: Review of “You failed your math test, Comrade Einstein” by M. Shifman, 2020. In The Mathematical Intelligencer, volume 42, pages 83–87.

  • doi: 10.1007/s00283-020-09976-y
  • URL: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hrcikumwsJ-svqattfX_cvc76CaU-6HG/ (archived here)

• User "arbat" on LiveJournal, 2003.

  • URL: https://bbb.livejournal.com/787297.html?thread=2688609#t2688609 (archived here, here, and here).
    See also: https://bbb.livejournal.com/787297.html?thread=2698081#t2698081 (archived here and here), and https://bbb.livejournal.com/787297.html?thread=2708577#t2708577 (archived here and here), and https://bbb.livejournal.com/787297.html?thread=2733921#t2733921 (archived here and here).

• User "azb1958" on LiveJournal, 2013.

  • URL: https://azb1958.livejournal.com/34112.html (archived here). See also https://azb1958.livejournal.com/34112.html?thread=141376#t141376 (archived here)

• Vladimir Kelman, 2013.

  • URL: https://kerosinka.livejournal.com/1633.html?thread=383329#t383329 (archived here, here, here, and here)

• User "nieuwe_zijde" on Blogger, 2009.

  • URL: https://avzel.blogspot.com/2009/07/blog-post_30.html?showComment=1254948495163#c1386969495227008652 (archived here)

• Selected problems of the oral examination in Mathematics, Mekhmat MSU, 1979.

  • URL: https://www.lirmm.fr/~ashen/senderov/zadachi-1979-color.djvu (archived here)

• Selected problems of entrance examinations, Mekhmat MSU, 1982.

  • URL: https://www.lirmm.fr/~ashen/senderov/zadachi-1982.djvu (archived here)

• Selected problems of entrance examinations, Mekhmat MSU in 1986.

  • URL: https://www.lirmm.fr/~ashen/senderov/zadachi-1986-color.djvu (archived here)

Additional references

These are additional resources for a more complete historical overview.

Note

They are also listed in bib format in the file further_reading.bib.

• Alexander Khaniyevich Shen: Materials related to entrance exams. Collection of many resources.

  • URL: https://www.lirmm.fr/~ashen/senderov/ (archived here)

• Gina Bari Kolata: Anti-semitism alleged in Soviet Mathematics, 1978. In Science, volume 202.4373, pages 1167–1170.

  • doi: 10.1126/science.202.4373.1167
  • URL: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.202.4373.1167

• Gina Bari Kolata: A program to aid Soviet Jewish mathematicians, 1978. In Science, volume 202.4373, page 1168.

  • doi: 10.1126/science.202.4373.1168
  • URL: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.202.4373.1168 (archived here)

• George Greene: Problems, 1979 (in response to Anti-semitism alleged in Soviet Mathematics by Gina Bari Kolata). In Science, volume 203.4380, page 501.

  • doi: 10.1126/science.203.4380.501.b
  • URL: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.203.4380.501.b (archived here)

• Gina Bari Kolata: Response: Problems, 1979 (in response to Problems by George Greene). In Science, volume 203.4380, page 501.

  • doi: 10.1126/science.203.4380.501.c
  • URL: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.203.4380.501.c (archived here)

• Lev Semyonovich Pontryagin: Soviet anti-semitism: reply by Pontryagin, 1979 (in response to Anti-semitism alleged in Soviet Mathematics by Gina Bari Kolata). In Science, volume 205.4411, pages 1083–1084.

  • doi: 10.1126/science.205.4411.1083
  • URL: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.205.4411.1083

• Lipman Bers, R. H. Bing, Henri Cartan, P. D. Lax, Saunders Mac Lane, Deane Montgomery, Georges de Rham, Marshall Stone, Oscar Zariski: An unpublished reply, 1980. In Science, volume 208.4439, page 6.

  • doi: 10.1126/science.208.4439.6.c
  • URL: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.208.4439.6.c (archived here)

• Alexander Lichtman: Moscow's new wave of anti-semitism, 1980.

  • URL: https://www.csmonitor.com/1980/0430/043032.html (archived here)

• Alexey Savelyev: Memo to a Jew entering the Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics of Moscow State University.

  • URL: https://arzamas.academy/materials/1148 (also here)

• Andrei Reznikov: A few reminiscences about some peculiarities of getting a mathematical education in Moscow in the 80s, 2007.

  • URL: https://u.math.biu.ac.il/~reznikov/pap/Haifa-conf.pdf (archived here), and https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IsxJY4jBm_p-DYu-YXpO6W6u5lXw2EzT (archived here)

• Anatoly Moiseevich Vershik: Admission to the mathematics faculty in Russia in the 1970s and 1980s, 1994. In The Mathematical Intelligencer, volume 16.4, pages 4–5.

  • doi: 10.1142/9789812701169_0007
  • URL: http://www.3038.org/press/vershik.pdf (archived here)

• Mark E. Saul: Kerosinka: an episode in the history of Soviet Mathematics, 1999. In The Notices of the American Mathematical Society, volume 46.10, pages 1217–1220.

  • URL: https://www.ams.org/notices/199910/fea-saul.pdf (archived here)

• George Geza Szpiro: Bella Abramovna Subbotovskaya and the “Jewish People’s University”, 2007. In The Notices of the American Mathematical Society, volume 54.10, pages 1326–1330.

  • doi: 10.1090/mbk/073/14
  • URL: https://www.ams.org/notices/200710/tx071001326p.pdf (archived here)

• Valery Anatolievich Senderov: Without partaking of the Buffalo — In memory of Bella Abramovna Subbotovskaya, 2011.

  • URL: https://volgograd.yabloko.ru/news/index.phtml?id=1871

• Bella Subbotovskaya and her University (Bella Subbotovskaya Memorial Conference), Haifa, 2007.

  • Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLTijd4OKj8 and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xyak7yINMsI
  • Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QyErAlI149g and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CEN6nIN4Dk
  • Part 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cx2MK6tD8S4 and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDmzWMM_8wQ

• Wikipedia: Bella Abramovna Subbotovskaya.

  • Russian page: https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Субботовская,_Белла_Абрамовна
  • English page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bella_Subbotovskaya

• Jewish Agency: Anti-semitism in Soviet Science: research and memories — In memory of Bella Subbotovskaya.

  • Russian page: https://www.jafi.org/JewishAgency/Russian/Education/Jewish+History/40/JPUM/Download.htm
  • English page: https://www.jafi.org/JewishAgency/English/Jewish+Education/Compelling+Content/Eye+on+Israel/Aliyah/40/Scientists/Download.htm

• Wikipedia: Antisemitism in Soviet Mathematics. In particular, see the cited references. The Russian page is very thorough and cites many sources.

  • Russian page: https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Антисемитизм_в_советской_математике
  • English page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antisemitism_in_Soviet_mathematics

• Ilya Polyak: Notes on anti-semitism in Soviet Science, 2003.

  • URL: https://proza.ru/2003/12/24-97 (archived here)

• Alexander Kostinsky, Vladimir Gubailovsky: Discrimination in admission to higher education institutions in the Soviet Union, 2005.

  • URL: https://www.svoboda.org/a/126672.html (archived here and here)

• Yuli Kosharovsky: We are Jews again: Jewish activism in the Soviet Union, Volume 2, Part 5, chapter 31.

  • URL of the relevant excerpt: https://pubs.ejwiki.org/wiki/Юлий_Кошаровский%E2%97%8F%E2%97%8FМы_снова_евреи%E2%97%8FГлава_31 and https://kosharovsky.com/глава-31-дети-в-отказе/
  • Book: https://pubs.ejwiki.org/wiki/Юлий_Кошаровский%E2%97%8F%E2%97%8FМы_снова_евреи

• Mikhail Anatolyevich Tsfasman: The fate of Mathematics in Russia, 2009.

  • URL: https://polit.ru/article/2009/01/30/matematika/

• Natalia Demina, Yuliy Sergeevich Ilyashenko: "In Russia it is necessary to preserve all healthy, original forms of science and education", 2009.

  • URL: https://www.polit.ru/article/2009/07/14/ilyashenko1/

• Natalia Demina, Yuliy Sergeevich Ilyashenko: The «Black 20th Anniversary» of the Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics of Moscow State University, 2009.

  • URL: https://www.polit.ru/article/2009/07/28/ilyashenko2/

• Leonid Kostyukov: Witness of the Black Years, 2009.

  • URL: https://polit.ru/article/2009/07/30/mehmat/

• Leonid Kostyukov: Refrigerator and wheelbarrow, 2011.

  • URL: https://polit.ru/country/2011/06/12/ussr.html

• Natalia Demina, Anatoly Moiseevich Vershik: Through the eyes of a mathematician, 2013.

  • URL: https://polit.ru/article/2013/02/25/vershik1/

• Joseph Viktorovich Polterovich: Valery Senderov, righteous of the world, 2012.

  • URL: https://polit.ru/article/2012/11/11/senderov/

• Natalia Demina, Valery Anatolievich Senderov: Against the tide, 2014.

  • URL: https://polit.ru/article/2014/12/23/senderov_memory/

• Mikhail Arkadyevich Shifman, Boris Ilyich Kanevsky, Konstantin Sonin: Senderov — fighter against intellectual genocide, 2012.

  • URL: https://www.trv-science.ru/2012/12/senderov-borec-s-intellektualnym-genocidom/ (archived here)

• Anna Rudnitskaya: Prince Myshkin is against anti-semites, 2012.

  • URL: https://www.jewish.ru/history/hatred/2012/11/news994313124.php

• Pavel Protsenko: Valery Senderov needs help: help the modern «Prince Myshkin»!, 2012.

  • URL: https://graniru.org/blogs/free/entries/207860.html (archived here)

• Pavel Protsenko: Only mercy is constant: help Valery Senderov, 2012.

  • URL: https://graniru.org/blogs/free/entries/208635.html (archived here)

• Jewish Heroes: Boris Kanevsky, 2021.

  • URL: https://www.jewishheroes.live/heroes/kanevskiy-boris (archived here); see also https://www.jewishheroes.live/kanevskiy-boris

• Moscow Helsinki Group: Members of the MHG (1976–1982) — Meyman Naum Natanovich.

  • URL: https://www.mhg.ru/history/1B3270D

• Canadian Mathematical Society: Three Honoured for Outstanding Research Achievements, 2009.

  • URL: https://www2.cms.math.ca/MediaReleases/2009/res-prizes#jw (archived here)

• Karl Grandin (editor): Andre Geim — Biographical, 2010 (The Nobel Foundation). Also contained in Nobel Lectures in Physics (2006–2010) by Lars Brink (editor), 2014 (World Scientific), at pages 297–309.

  • URL: https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/physics/2010/geim/biographical/ (archived here)
  • Book: https://archive.org/details/nobel-lectures-in-physics-1942-1962-by-nobel-foundation%2D%7A%2D%6C%69%62%2E%6F%72%67/ (direct link: https://archive.org/download/nobel-lectures-in-physics-1942-1962-by-nobel-foundation%2D%7A%2D%6C%69%62%2E%6F%72%67/Nobel%20Lectures%20in%20Physics%20%282006%20-%202010%29%20by%20Lars%20Brink%2C%20Lars%20Brink%20%28%7A%2D%6C%69%62%2E%6F%72%67%29.pdf)
  • Book doi: 10.1142/9210
  • Book ISBN: 978-981-4612-67-8 and 978-981-4612-68-5

• Natalia Demina, Andre Geim: «I — European citizen», 2016.

  • URL: https://www.trv-science.ru/2016/08/ya-grazhdanin-evropy/

• Igor Markovich Pak: College admissions I. Discrimination and lies, Jews and Harvard, 2012.

  • URL: https://igorpak.wordpress.com/2012/12/26/college-admissions-discrimination/ (archived here)

• Mark Ginsburg: Pogroms in Russian Mathematics, 2014. In Time and Place, volume 2.30.

  • URL: https://reading-hall.ru/publication.php?id=9699 (archived here)

• Natalya Frolova: «I behaved incorrectly at the exam – like a Jew». How in the USSR, the fifth column prevented people from entering the Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics at Moscow State University, 2020.

  • URL: https://theins.ru/confession/234674 (archived here)

• Natalya Frolova: «Are they going to take us – straight to Auschwitz?» Anti-semitism at Moscow State University in the Soviet era in the memoirs of human rights activists, 2020.

  • URL: https://theins.ru/knigi/234677 (archived here)

• Bella Kerdman: Unfinished book, 2000.

  • URL: https://www.vestnik.com/issues/2000/0229/win/kerdman.htm

• Asya Entova All too familiar discrimination, 2008.

  • URL: https://asya.rjews.net/politik/081200-diskrim.shtml (archived here)

• Tanya Khovanova: A Hole for Jews, 2009.

  • URL: https://blog.tanyakhovanova.com/2009/03/a-hole-for-jews/ (archived here)

• Tanya Khovanova: The Defining Moment, 2009.

  • URL: https://blog.tanyakhovanova.com/2009/09/the-defining-moment/ (archived here)

• Tanya Khovanova: A Math Exam’s Hidden Agenda, 2011.

  • URL: https://blog.tanyakhovanova.com/2011/05/a-math-exams-hidden-agenda/ (archived here)

• Tanya Khovanova: The Hidden Agenda Revealed, 2011.

  • URL: https://blog.tanyakhovanova.com/2011/05/the-hidden-agenda-revealed/ (archived here)

• Tanya Khovanova: The Oral Exam, 2011.

  • URL: https://blog.tanyakhovanova.com/2011/05/the-oral-exam/ (archived here)

• Tanya Khovanova: This is Not a Consultation, 2011.

  • URL: https://blog.tanyakhovanova.com/2011/10/this-is-not-a-consultation/ (archived here)

• Tanya Khovanova: Jewish Problems, 2011.

  • URL: https://blog.tanyakhovanova.com/2011/10/jewish-problems/ (archived here)

• Tanya Khovanova: Arnold’s Advice, 2022.

  • URL: https://blog.tanyakhovanova.com/2022/04/arnolds-advice/ (archived here)

• Yevgeni Berkovich: Mikhail Tsalenko.

  • URL: https://z.berkovich-zametki.com/avtory/calenko/ (archived here)

• Yevgeni Berkovich: Editor's word, 2003. In Notes on Jewish History, issue 34.

  • URL: https://berkovich-zametki.com/Nomer34/Redakt0.htm (archived here)

• Mikhail Shamshonovich Tsalenko: Facts that it is preferable not to remember, 2009 (written in 1988). In Notes on Jewish History, issue 142. (See also the comments under the article).

  • URL: https://berkovich-zametki.com/2011/Zametki/Nomer7/Calenko1.php (archived here)

• Mikhail Shamshonovich Tsalenko: Episodes of life, 2011. In Notes on Jewish History, issue 144.

  • URL: https://berkovich-zametki.com/2011/Zametki/Nomer9/Calenko1.php (archived here)

• Vladimir Ilyich Babitsky: Smoke of the Fatherland, 2013. In Notes on Jewish History, issue 161.

  • URL: https://www.berkovich-zametki.com/2013/Zametki/Nomer2/Babicky1.php (archived here)

• Mikhail Shamshonovich Tsalenko: A look back from the blind eyes — Time for change, 2013. In Seven Arts, number 43.5.

  • URL: https://7iskusstv.com/2013/Nomer5/Calenko1.php (archived here)

• Mikhail Shamshonovich Tsalenko: A look back from the blind eyes — Last month of Summer, 2013. In Seven Arts, number 43.6.

  • URL: https://7iskusstv.com/2013/Nomer6/Calenko1.php (archived here)

• Mikhail Arkadyevich Shifman: Notes from the old Phystech, 2024. In Seven Arts, number 172.11.

  • URL: https://7i.7iskusstv.com/y2024/nomer11/mashifman/ (archive here)

• Julia Schulman, Michael Hsieh: Coffin Problems — How Soviet anti-Semitism buried Jewish scientists, 2021.

  • URL: https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/science/articles/coffin-problems-soviet-anti-semitism-scientists (archived here)

• Alexander Taratorin: Flying over Moscow – 5. Part 1, 2005.

  • URL: https://npj.netangels.ru/atorin/15196

• Ilya Volodarsky: Soviet College Admission — My Dad's Story (1970), 2013.

  • URL: https://ivolo.me/soviet-college-admission/

• Boris Maftsir: Episode 5. The glass walls of Soviet Jews – where one can study – and where one cannot, 2025.

  • URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzanR8x5S2U

• Jessica Ravitz: Shining light on Emory school's past anti-semitism prompts healing – and, for one man, questions, 2012.

  • URL: https://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2012/10/13/shining-light-on-emorys-reign-of-terror-prompts-healing-and-for-one-man-questions/

• Svetlana Reiter: «I have no business in this synagogue» «31 controversial issues» of Russian history: internationalism and the «fifth column», 2014.

  • URL: https://lenta.ru/articles/2014/03/17/paragraph5 (archived here)

• Alina Adams: The Nesting Dolls, 2020 (HarperCollins). Fictional story inspired by the real historic events.

  • URL: https://www.bookbrowse.com/mag/btb/index.cfm/book_number/4131/the-nesting-dolls (archived here)
  • ISBN: 978-0-06-291094-3

User discussions

Relevant user discussions and forum posts.

Note

These are also listed in bib format in the file discussions.bib.

• Alexander Khaniyevich Shen: Some more texts by Senderov and others, 2014.

  • URL: https://www.facebook.com/alexander.shen.182/posts/10152637548893423

• russhatter: Memoirs about coffins and Mekh-Mat, 2009.

  • URL: https://russhatter.livejournal.com/124217.html (archived here)

• taki_net: Remembering the bloody Mekh-Mat, 2009.

  • URL: https://taki-net.livejournal.com/573156.html (archived here)

• Boris Lvin: A long and sad memoir about failure to enter Leningrad State University + a small reflection, 2003.

  • URL: https://bbb.livejournal.com/787297.html (archive: page 1, page 2)

• Boris Lvin: Again about entering universities, 2003.

  • URL: https://bbb.livejournal.com/787891.html (archived here)

• cema: About Jews in Kerosinka, 2003.

  • URL: https://kerosinka.livejournal.com/1633.html (archived here and here)

• sTHINKs, 2010.

  • URL: https://sthinks.livejournal.com/111250.html (archived here)

• Dina Safyan: Per aspera ad astra, 2013.

  • URL: https://sid75.livejournal.com/106678.html (archive: page 1, page 2, page 3, page 4, page 5, page 6, page 7, page 8)

• Dima Shkolnik: Witness from the other side, 2003.

  • URL: https://scolar.livejournal.com/71769.html (archived here)

• Lilya Polenova: atorin [Alexander Taratorin] recounts how he entered the University, 2005.

  • URL: https://polenova.livejournal.com/8679.html (archive: page 1, page 2, page 3)

• Alexander Khaniyevich Shen: letter from Shafarevich, early 1990s, 2017.

  • URL: https://a-shen.livejournal.com/106775.html (archived here)

• Alexander Khaniyevich Shen: in memory of Valery Anatolyevich Senderov (continued), 2014.

  • URL: https://a-shen.livejournal.com/72572.html (archived here)

• Anatoly Vorobey: A quick look at LiveJournal: Jewish quotas, 2003.

  • URL: https://avva.livejournal.com/831661.html (archived here and here)

• ipain: series 1 - Experiments with the "cleansing" situation. Material and experiments, 2003.

  • URL: https://ipain.livejournal.com/177018.html (archived here)

• ipain: there is not a single interview with a single employee of the "anti-Jewish department" of the KGB, 2003.

  • URL: https://ipain.livejournal.com/177695.html (archived here)

• mariko_11: Mathematician Bella Subbotovskaya, 2013.

  • URL: https://womantory.livejournal.com/225848.html (archived here and here)

• greenbat: The topic of national quotas for higher education during the Soviet era, 2003.

  • URL: https://greenbat.livejournal.com/101851.html (archived here)

• sasha_br: Once again on anti-semitism, 2012.

  • URL: https://sasha-br.livejournal.com/80500.html (archived here and here)

• Konstantin Sonin: For those who like to delve into the distant past, 2012.

  • URL: https://ksonin.livejournal.com/467920.html (archive: page 1, page 2, page 3)

• Konstantin Sonin: My admission to Moscow State University, 2017.

  • URL: https://ksonin.livejournal.com/627754.html (archive: page 1, page 2)

• Tatiana Mikhailova: On discrimination, 2012.

  • URL: https://tatiana-mikhail.livejournal.com/63806.html (archived here)

• azb1958: named after A. A. Zhdanov, 2013.

  • URL: https://azb1958.livejournal.com/34112.html (archived here)

• Andrey Rakovsky: State anti-Semitism in the USSR — Episode one. Discriminatory quotas for Jews in universities, 2009.

  • URL: https://a-rakovskij.livejournal.com/265100.html (archived here)

• Alexander Khaniyevich Shen: note to historians, 2011.

  • URL: https://a-shen.livejournal.com/22135.html (archive: page 1, page 2)

• Alexander Khaniyevich Shen: I saw several links to my old text about the entrance exams, 2013.

  • URL: https://a-shen.livejournal.com/45925.html (archived here)

• Mikhail Arkadyevich Shifman: A meaningless post. Preamble (written on the plane), 2013.

  • URL: https://traveller2.livejournal.com/354839.html (archive: page 1, page 2; also here)

• Mikhail Arkadyevich Shifman: Continuation of the meaningless post (and I am writing on the plane again), 2013.

  • URL: https://traveller2.livejournal.com/356025.html (archived here; more recent: page 1, page 2)

• Andrei Vladlenovich Zelevinsky: About the Mekh-mat and more, 2009.

  • URL: https://avzel.blogspot.com/2009/07/blog-post_30.html (archived here)

• kamen_jahr: I'm looking for: documents regarding the state anti-semitism in the USSR (from 1953), 2009.

  • URL: https://ru-history.livejournal.com/1752751.html (archived here)

• Misha Verbitsky: "People's University" (1978 - 82), 2005.

  • URL: https://lj.rossia.org/users/tiphareth/649498.html (archived here)

• bravchick: When did they stop taking Jews to the Mekh-Mat?, 2012.

  • URL: https://bravchick.livejournal.com/66265.html (archive: page 1, page 2)

• Mikhail Arkadyevich Shifman: Vadim Knizhnik, 2012.

  • URL: https://traveller2.livejournal.com/275323.html (archived here)

• Mikhail Arkadyevich Shifman: More on Vadim Knizhnik, 2017.

  • URL: https://traveller2.dreamwidth.org/663683.html (archived here and here)

• Mikhail Arkadyevich Shifman: It is time to say good bye. Variations on the theme, 2013.

  • URL: https://traveller2.livejournal.com/356617.html (archived here)

• experiment8or: Participating in a flash mob: career guidance, 2013.

  • URL: https://experiment8or.livejournal.com/172565.html (archived here)

• medovoy: How it was done in Dolgoprudny, 2013.

  • URL: https://medovoy.livejournal.com/713.html (archived here)

• Alexander Alexandrovich Kirillov Jr.: Lupanov, 2006.

  • URL: https://aa-kir.livejournal.com/21176.html (archived here)

• taki_net: "The best Soviet education in the world", 2011.

  • URL: https://taki-net.livejournal.com/1154824.html (archived here)

• Anton Nossik: Startup: thank you Joseph Goebbels for our happy childhood, 2014.

  • URL: https://dolboeb.livejournal.com/2663695.html (archive: page 1, page 2, page 3, page 4, page 5, page 6, page 7, page 8, page 9)

• yigal_s: licking old wounds, 2006.

  • URL: https://yigal-s.livejournal.com/282328.html (archived here)

• shkrobius: Anti-antisemite, 2012.

  • URL: https://shkrobius.livejournal.com/389866.html (archived here)

• sumlenny: Read this detailed explanation of why the USSR collapsed, 2012.

  • URL: https://sumlenny.livejournal.com/1360919.html

• Discussion on Hacker News about Soviet College Admission — My Dad's Story (1970) by Ilya Volodarsky.

  • URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5340553 (archived here)

• Discussion on Hacker News about The Fifth problem: math and anti-Semitism in the Soviet Union (excerpt from Love and Math) by Edward Frenkel.

  • URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4752047 (archived here)

• Another discussion on Hacker News about The Fifth problem: math and anti-Semitism in the Soviet Union (excerpt from Love and Math) by Edward Frenkel.

  • URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6999846 (archived here)

• Discussion on Hacker News about Jewish problems by Tanya Khovanova.

  • URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4759642 (archived here)

• (Question on History StackExchange) Was there discrimination against Jewish people at the entrance exams to the most prestigious universities in the USSR?, 2013.

  • URL: https://history.stackexchange.com/questions/8774/ (archived here)