Albert Einstein was more than a man of science; he was a man of conscience, a spokesperson for a number of groups with different agendas: Jews, intellectuals, and philosophers among them.
The editors have sifted through more than forty years of Einstein’s letters, speeches, and testimonies that serve as evidence of this breadth of concerns. Although not an observant Jew, he nonetheless came to the defense of his co-religionists when Hitler came to power. He similarly spoke out against Stalin, all in an elegant style indicative of a lost art, when written correspondence was the main source of communication.
Rowe and Schulmann include a wide range of documents on topics such as anti- Semitism and Zionism, Germany and the fate of Jews under the Nazi regime, and nuclear weapons and the threat of war, somewhat ironic since his work was the launch point of the Manhattan Project.
The book includes a brief but thorough historical introduction. Each entry is prefaced by a brief introduction to put the document into perspective. Index.
Ron Kaplan is the sports and features editor for the New Jersey Jewish News, where he hosts Kaplan’s Korner, a blog about Jews and sports. His first book, 501 Baseball Books Fans Must Read before They Die, was published in 2013. His article and book reviews have appeared in numerous national and international publications. Kaplan lives in Montclair, NJ.
