Jascha Heifetz

Russian-Lithuanian-American violin virtuoso, born February 2 , 1901, Vilna, Vilna Governate, Russian Empire (now Vilnius, Lithuania), died December 10, 1987, Los Angeles, California, US. His name transliterates to Iosif Ruvimovich Kheyfets, conforming to Russian patronymic usage. The Kheyfets were Jewish, and Jascha was a common Yiddish diminutive for Joseph. The surname was anglicized Heifetz. His father, Reuven He…