He was born on June 8, 1929 in the city of Kharkov, Ukraine, in the family of compositor of printing house Shulim Nusinovich Rapoport and teachers of kindergarten Elizabeth Abramovna Ruskol. The eldest son in a large family.

The child grew up in an atmosphere of parental love and care, in a friendly and creative learning environment. The intelligent friends and colleagues of parents positively affected on the formation of Julius’ character and outlook.

The family lived among the Ukrainian, Russian and Bulgarian people, in terms that encourage assimilation. They studied and spoke in Russian at home, on the street — the languages of the local residents. Parents didn’t teach their children Jewish language and the Jewish traditions not to create them in the future any difficulties.

In 1937 Julius went to school. He learned to read and write early, but nevertheless he poorly studied in the first class. But then he "got a taste" and subsequently studied excellent. He discovered the ability of a leader, and in the 4th grade, he became chairman of the Pioneer squads. In 1941 Julius finished the fourth grade. The Great Patriotic war began.

In September 1941, Julius with the family was evacuated to Saratov region, to the village Kepental, the former ASSR of the Volga Germans. All this evacuated people worked in the collective farm "Krasnoye znamya", in which the main labor force were women and 13-15-years-old children.

Since March 1942 Julius began to work on the farm: as a driver on horses and camels, on hay stacking, as a tractor trailer operator, and since June 1943 as a tractor driver. Although he was only 13 years old at that time. There was no school in the village and no pupils — all children were working. They lived poorly.

In September 1943 the family moved to Saransk. There, in October 1943, Julius entered a vocational school No. 2, studying at the metal turner. It was a big success: a prestigious profession, food, kit of clothing (his father’s clothing had already been worn out). But there was a little theoretical knowledge there. Most of the time he worked as a turner in the tool shop of the mine plant (inserting a wooden box under his feet just to reach the machine) for 12 hours in two shifts. Julius says:

"In college I first encountered the anti-semitism. Skinny poorly fed Jewish boy became the target of abuse of classmates. Sometimes they insulted with words, sometimes they took away a piece of bread, which I had to carry to starving Jeanne and Nathan, or played other dirty tricks. And then they started to beat me in the circle. Once again, in a fit of blind desperation, I grabbed the main offender by the throat. I was ready to strangle him, but my Mordvin friend Sasha tore me away from him. After that I got respect and I realized that you need to respond to the evil adequately, in any possible way. And this truth helped me later many times."

Julius didn’t finish his studies in the vocational school. In June 1944 the family returned from the evacuation in Ukraine. They settled in the Bulgarian village Trojany of Berdyansk district. At that time the farm began cleaning of grain and Julius worked on mowing and helped with sheaves on the threshing machine.

In the village Androvka near Trojany people restored the machine-tractor station (MTS), and in October 1944 Julius was taken there as metal turner. The family moved to Androvka. Julius worked and learned the profession. This work gave an opportunity to improve significantly the welfare of the family. In 1945 Julius joined the Komsomol.

This period was the first experience of entrepreneurship for Julius Rapoport. He says:

"The nearest enterprise for processing of sunflower seeds for oil was about 25 kilometers away. The absence of transport and roads created problems for farmers. Me and my friend, a locksmith, launched our own churn. We adapted the sheller, created a winepress from the remnants of the German tanks and even made a wind engine. And so the business started — orders exceeded our possibilities. But... three months later financial inspector and district police came here and closed our business: „It’s not allowed!“ But „we went into the taste“: we found bicycle components in the yards, restored them, produced the missing parts, assembled bikes and changed them for food".

The war ended and in September 1945 his father came back from the front. The family moved to the village Novotroitskoye, Julius continued to work in the MTS and lived in Androvka alone. Soon the family council decided to continue his education. But the nearest school for working youth was in Berdyansk, and Julius went there.

Since June 1946, he worked as a turner at the plant "Dormash" and came in fifth grade of the evening school. At the plant he was among record-setters in work productivity, which meant that his production rates was more than 140%. "The best workers were given a very tasty stew of beef stomach in the dining-room", — he says. Julius lived in a workers’ hostel, then in apartment, and since 1947 with the family that moved to Berdyansk. Low wages, poor meager food rations issued by the cards and the need to help parents encouraged Julius to look for additional sources of funds. His familiar fishermen allowed to unload the barges with a catch and he also worked on the reconstruction of housing.

In 1949 Julius finished 7th grade of the evening school.

The plant is also connected with the beginning of his public activity. In 1948–1949 Julius was a secretary of the Komsomol Committee of the plant (not released). He organized a brass band, a playground and a motorcycle club on this post.

In August 1949 Julius was drafted into the Soviet army and sent to the Perm school of aviation mechanics. Before the start of classes he worked on the construction of the barracks for a battalion of cadets, during which he learned profession of plumbing fitter. He spent a couple of months in taiga on logging and became a logger.

Studying in the school of aircraft mechanic became a good educational level for him — extensive training programme, strong teaching staff. In addition, there was an opportunity of extending the general outlook — on Saturdays and Sundays the standouts were released to the dismissal and he studied in a public library and visited the theatre. Julius Rapoport graduated from school with honors, he was awarded the military rank of "sergeant" and he had the right to choose a place of service. He chose Sakhalin Island. There airplane mechanics received the money allowances in the double amount.

Julius Rapoport spent his further service in the 29-th guards aviation regiment in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. He served the American fighters Aerocobra, and then Soviet jet MIG-15. He worked as a mechanic, chief engineer squadron, served as officer-engineering squadron. His service was repeatedly awarded by the command, he had authority in the team.

Julius wanted to continue his education, but then the soldiers of urgent service were banned to study in the civil educational institutions. As an exception, the sergeant Julius Rapoport was allowed to attend a two-year officer’s party school, which he successfully finished. There was a good amateur team and even its own theatre. Julius was a soloist in the choir, and an actor. "Military service was not the loss of time for me. It was a good school of life — both in teaching of style and methods of work and in expanding the horizon" — says Julius Rapoport.

Julius Rapoport. 1953

In August 1953 Julius returned to the family that lived on the station Kakhovka in Kherson region. He became the engineer of the locomotive at the railway. He started as a fireman, then ran more than 200 000 kilometers as assistant of locomotive driver.

In 1955 Julius married a beautiful, intelligent, hardworking and kind Ukrainian girl Anna Shapovalova.

He finished 8-10 classes of the evening secondary school and the 1-st course of the Dnepropetrovsk institute of railway transport engineers by correspondence. In 1955 he joined the Communist party. He became the first chairman of the trade union committee of new locomotive depot Kakhovka of Pridneprovskaya railway.

In April 1956 his son Igor was born. Together with his wife they had time to raise children, take care of cows, pigs and chickens, to win the first places in dancing in the club and to be the most inventive persons in the big company of friends. Julius decided to finish his career at the railway and since November 1958 he began working as a fitter on the construction of Novokakhovskiy slaughterhouse. In April 1959 after the launch of its operation he worked as a foreman of boiler-house.

The outdated plant needed reconstruction and in March 1962 Julius Rapoport became the main design engineer (main because he was the only one). In parallel, he leads several activities: implementation of new technologies, rationalization and invention, technical information and safety. For six years he was elected the chairman of the committee of a trade union (not released) and a member of the party bureau of the plant. Implementation of practical engineering and design work, participation in solving economic and managerial problems of the enterprise required knowledge and Julius intensively engaged in self-education, as well as continued his studies at the Ukrainian Correspondence Polytechnic Institute in Kharkov. In 1966 he received the diploma of the engineer-electrician on a speciality "automatics and telemechanics".

In January 1959 his daughter Olga was born.

The ending of the institute opened a way for transition to more interesting and well-paid work. In 1966–1969 Julius worked as the engineer-designer of the 2-nd category in the department of General Electric of Novokahovsky electric plant. He was the party secretary of his division and power-supply workshop, deputy chairman of the City Council of the Society of innovators and inventors, lecturer of the "Znanie" society.

Since August 1969, Julius Rapoport worked as a deputy chief of technical department of regional management in Kahovselstroy. Rapoport was occupied with implementation of new equipment and technologies, rationalization and invention, technical information. In 1971–1974 on his own initiative he developed the automated production control system (APCS) on the basis of computer technology. He achieved financing and created the department of APCS. There was developed and tested subsystem APCS on construction completion. But he gave up this work when he received evidence that implementation of APCS had no prospects in the conditions of the Soviet methods of economic management.

Brothers Julius and Nathan

In 1973–1974 Julius Rapoport created for himself a self-supporting plot of small-scale mechanization (PSM) of construction works, the first in the USSR Ministry of Agriculture building. The tasks of the site were the reduction of manual labor and the effective use of technology. Concentrating all means of small mechanization PSM provided its good technical condition and granted it on paid lease to the builders. The concentration of technology allowed applying aggregation-node method of capital repairs for the first time. But the most interesting thing was the development and production of new machines and mechanisms and modernization of old ones.

There were performed 33 developments at the level of inventions and rationalization proposals during 5 years. For example, the improvement of devices for the transportation by truck of a silicate brick in bags. Later it became widespread on the building sites of the country. These achievements were the results of joint cooperation between Julius Rapoport and his united team of the employees. PSM OPU "Kahovselstroy" was advanced in the USSR Ministry of Agriculture building.

During the period of "Brezhnev stagnation" the work with people became heavier. Julius Rapoport decided to retire at the age of 55 and get rid of the governing worries. From June 1980 to March 1981 he worked as a foreman of mechanics of melting-casting site in iron casting shop of Novokahovsky electric plant, and since March 1981 as a foundry worker on casting machines. Later Julius worked in the same shop as a master and engaged in the debugging of the repairing system and use of molds and dies, and then — installation and launch of the new foundry site.

In February 1987, Rapoport dismissed from the factory. The new period of his activity began. It was a period of free enterprise in a country still unconscious about transition to a market economy.

In June 1987 the former director of the Novokahovsky electric plant L. B. Panin and Julius Rapoport created in New Kahovka mini-plant "Bytmash" in the form of a cooperative, one of the first in the country. They purchased seven metal-working machines, organized hourly rent of the additional equipment at electric plant, bought a scooter and recruited staff. Marketing was held, the technology was worked out and the production of four types of products started there. And all these things were done in 4 months by two engineers with a high level of profitability.

In November 1987, Julius Rapoport quitted the cooperative and the new opportunities opened for him. His brother, Valentine Shulimovich Rapoport, a recognized specialist in the field of economy and management of enterprises, decided to start a new business in the USSR — professional consulting — and invited Julius to cooperate. It was something new and attractive for Julius, but in fact close to his accumulated knowledge, long-term experience of work at enterprises of different industries and ability to communicate with people. And Julius agreed.

In June 1988 Valentine Shulimovich established an independent consulting firm "ECOU-Consult". Valentine Shulimovich became a company’s director and scientific leader and Julius Shulinmovich became administrative director and chief consultant. He mastered successfully a new business, participating in all the spheres of company’s work — from the decisions on organizational, administrative and financial issues to the development of consulting methods of enterprises and institutions. A lot of work rested on his shoulders. It included establishment of business connections with the objects of cooperation, organization of business trips of the company’s employees on these objects, execution of documents etc. He participated in the formation of the company’s creative collective, educational process, site visits of employees from major companies and organizations of Moscow, Yaroslavl, Izhevsk, Naberezhnye Chelny, Kherson and others. He passed his experience to young employees and attracted his son Igor, daughter Olga and other relatives to work in the company. So this firm became a "family business".

Julius says:

"The work in the Centre was a creative and productive epoch for me. I learned much in the management activities, for which I am grateful to my brother Valentine, who, unfortunately, departed from us in the prime of his life."

In 1992 the Centre "ECOU-Consult" ceased its activities.

And Julius Rapoport began to look for a new sphere of application of his force. Also he was worried about the fate of the children and grandchildren.

In June 1992 the private auditing and consulting firm "OTA-Audit" was created. Olga Yulyevna Rapoport became its founder and chief auditor and Julius Shulimovich became its director, leading auditor and consultant at enterprise management. The firm was created literally from nowhere. There were no laws on audit, there were no standards, no special knowledge and experience, there were no textbooks and the clients were no ready. But there were audit risk and liability. The story repeated again — they should learn and create but in the mode of hard real work "for themselves"!

Now the firm "OTA-Audit" is 10 years old. The rich experience in integrated audit service of the enterprises, economic and management consulting, legal assistance (in trade, industry, construction, agriculture and other sectors of activity) has been accumulated. The company has a good image in the Kherson region.

Julius Rapoport has a clear mind, broad vision, purposefulness, initiative, integrity, and honesty, creative and rational approach to work. He has a friendly, optimistic character and sense of humor. Julius is self-possessed, curious and sociable. A little slowpoke and a pedant.

Julius has organizational skills, able to work with the personnel in the spirit of cooperation and create a creative and effective team. He enjoys authority among the employees of the company and the colleagues on business, as well as among the clients. He is a "multimachine operator" which means that he knows several engineering specialties, economy of the enterprise. Julius owns about twenty jobs, loves and knows how to work not only with his head, but with his hands too.

He is very lucky. His wife and companion Anna (in family — Galina) Iosifovna Rapoport (Shapoval) shares with him his joys and sorrows, successes and failures for 48 years and Julius owes her his mind, character and abilities. Fate was kind to him in his children who found themselves and occupied a worthy place in society, and in his grandchildren, whose abilities and achievements in studies bring the grandfather joy and confidence in their happy future.

In the life of Julius Rapoport there was always a lack of of time and resources for the implementation of the desired plans. That’s why the possibility of creative activity, tracking of the national and international policies, informative reading and classes... in the garden area (probably, from his grandfather Abram Ruskol, a Jewish farmer) can be considered as implemented hobbies.

Anna and Julius Rapoport, Joseph Shaikin
on the family meeting in Moscow. 2001