Our readers remember the official date of birth of “Behind the Wheel” – February 23, 1928. They also know that during the war and until 1956, the magazine was not published. Few people know that the pre-war and post-war “Driving” are in fact completely different publications. And this is related to the name of Mark Grigorievich (Girshevich) Tilevich. He could have turned 100 this year. He lived 95. And of these 95 he gave more than half a century to “Behind the wheel”.
Prisoner 73025
He lived for nearly a century, despite the fact that in 1941, a 19-year-old deputy political officer of an artillery unit, a Jew, he was imprisoned in the Witzendorf camp in Lower Saxony, worked at a sawmill, tried unsuccessfully to escape, was transferred to even harder work and strict regime, survived, almost two years later he fled again, and was caught again… Ended up in Sachsenhausen. It was on the gates that the “ironic” inscription “Work sets you free” hung. There was only one way to liberation from this camp: death. 100 thousand people were victims. In the early months of the war, the Nazis destroyed 18,000 Soviet POWs in Sachsenhausen. And the death machine only gained momentum…
win!
Mark Grigoryevich Tilevich, then a member of the underground organization of Soviet prisoners of war, was released on May 2, 1945 near Krivitsa. The Nazis drove a convoy of prisoners to the Baltic Sea to be loaded onto barges and drowned in the Lübeck region, hiding their crimes. This operation was called “Death March”.
After the war, the former prisoner number 73025 served for another year, until October 1946, in the group of Soviet troops in Germany, where he got on a captured motorcycle for the first time. And this was the beginning of a hobby that grew into a profession and a life’s work.
At the helm “Behind the wheel”
In 1951, Mark Grigoryevich (and he always wrote brilliantly!) graduated from the editing and publishing house of the Moscow Polygraphic Institute. In 1955 he became editor of the magazine Building Materials, in 1959 he came to Za Rulem and stayed there forever. For many years he was deputy editor-in-chief (or rather, editor-in-chief), and more recently consultant. And this was not just an honorary position – journalists studied with him until his last days.
The vintage cars of “Behind the Wheel” are sure that it was Mark Grigorievich Tilevich who transformed the magazine and began publishing material about privately owned cars – more and more, the volume of the publication significantly increased, conceived many headlines (which still exist), the style changed from heavyweight, unnecessarily strict, to a lighter one. He initiated the famous “Race of the Stars” for the awards of the magazine “Behind the wheel” … Finally, he created a team of journalists, which in turn formed the car culture of a huge country – the USSR. After all, there were no other Soviet car publications at that time.
We left his Moskvich
Many adults now admit that in their youth they spent hours on the “Behind the Wheel” files that every self-respecting motorist had. And, of course, they remember this signature – “M. Tilevich” – among perhaps the most interesting articles, notes, columns of the magazine.
And it all started with the fact that Mark Grigorievich was bought back by the Moskvich-401 editors from the Zarulevites of the Ministry of Defense, to Mark Grigoryevich. Mark, an experienced motorcyclist at that time, learned to drive a car, brought Moskvich in perfect condition and supported him for a very long time – despite the advanced age of the 401st. I don’t know what he thought of the word ‘perfectionist’. Most likely he would just smile if he was called that.
And I would certainly be happy to know that the Moskvich brand is being revived. At least, Moskvich’s collapse in the 90s upset him.
little big man
It seems there was no more thoughtful and benevolent person on the editorial board – and still isn’t. You could always turn to him for advice or help (and they did). He preferred to be called by his full name – Mark Grigorievich. Less often (and not all) – Mark. But even then – with special warmth. He was smaller than many. But we watched it from below. And we still look at the portrait in the conference room, in the gallery of the most famous Zarulevites.
Mark Grigoryevich said:
I have been very lucky twice in my life. The first time was when I, a Soviet Jew, managed to survive in a German concentration camp despite two failed escapes. The second – when I ended up on the editorial board of “Behind the wheel”.
We are also lucky to have you with us.
MG Tilevich was Vice President of the International Committee of Former Prisoners of Sachsenhausen, Member of the Brandenburg Memorials International Foundation, Member of the Board of Trustees of the Russian Mutual Understanding and Reconciliation Foundation and Vice President of the Interregional Public Organization of Disabled Persons prisoners of Nazi concentration camps. Honored Worker of Culture of the Russian Federation. In 1965 he was awarded the Order of the Red Star, 20 years later – the Order of the Patriotic War, I degree.
He was the initiator of the opening of a monument to Soviet prisoners of war in the Sachsenhausen memorial complex in 2000. The regional public charity foundation “In Memory of Prisoners of Concentration Camps named after Mark Tilevich” remains active in Moscow.
If you are interested in the biography of this amazing person, here is a detailed article about him.
- The most special tests “Behind the wheel”.
The modern “Behind the wheel” would not have been possible without a wonderful person – Mark Grigorievich Tilevich.
