"I am, somehow, less interested in the weight and convolutions of Einstein’s brain than in the near certainty that people of equal talent have lived and died in cotton fields and sweatshops."
(Stephen Gould, "The Panda's Thumb")
When ever people talk about Einstein's brilliance and genius in this way this is part of me that feels like sand has gotten trapped inside of me.
Because they all seem to be so willing to ignore that Einstein was Jewish. And that matters. Einstein did not get to where he got easily. He had to face antisemitism including academic antisemitism. He face systemic antisemitism.
The man had to flee Europe because of the Nazis because he was Jewish. Even once he came to America he still dealt with anitsemitism.
Einstein reflected about what him being Jewish meant in regards to his theories.
As he famously said “If my theory of relativity is proven successful, Germany will claim me as a German and France will declare me a citizen of the world. Should my theory prove untrue, France will say that I am a German, and Germany will declare that I am a Jew.”
You can not ignore that Einstein was Jewish and what that comes with.
Because you know what I would like you to contend with just how much genius has been lost, how much potential has been lost, how much hope and change that could made a positive impact on our world that has been lost due to antisemitism.
Because if you are going to have that kind of conversation and you are going to bring up Einstein then you have to bring up just how many Jews have been murdered over the millennia for being Jews and what has been lost because of their hate in their killers hearts.
Also the ignorance of Einstein dedicating his post war years to the advancement of African American Education and his position a vocal/politically active opponent of racial segregation,
This position being founded both in Jewish values and his own experiences of academic discrimination in America on the basis of being a Jew.
