Eliyahu Rips: The Burning (2016): Cast

In 1969, a young mathematics student, Ilya (Eliyahu) Rips, made a desperate protest against the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia by attempting self-immolation in a public square in Riga, Latvia. He was prevented from completing his act and subsequently spent two years in a psychiatric hospital. International support from the mathematical community eventually led to his emigration to Israel in 1972, where he became a highly regarded mathematician. However, he is also known for developing the controversial “Bible Code,” a mathematical program purported to decode hidden messages within the Torah. Despite facing criticism from both scientific and religious groups, his research continues.

• JP Director Jānis Putniņš

• ER Eliyahu Rips as themselves