Yakov Milkis

Yakov Milkis (Яков Милкис) was a Russian violinist, concertmaster and 2nd violin in the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra. The ensemble had been touring all over the world during the Soviet era, but Milkis was never able to get permission to exit USSR, without explanation. Once the officials gave him a hint - it was his aunt in Canada, and a "relative in the foreign country" was good enough reason to ban even the most promising artist from traveling to the Western world, let alone the Jewish musician. Eventually, he immigrated to Canada and became a concertmaster at the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and professor at the University Of Toronto.