Jakob Grommer (1879-1933). Born near Brest, then in Russia. First a Talmud student with a keen interest in mathematics. Came to Göttingen to study mathematics and obtained his Ph.D. there. Worked with Einstein for at least a decade (1917-1927) as his calculational assistant. He held a university position in Minsk from 1929 on and later became a member of the Belorussian Academy of Sciences. From his youth he was inflicted with elephantiasis.