E I N S T E I N

A N I N T R O D U C T I O N

Albert Einstein is undoubtedly one of the most fascinating and influential
figures of the modern era. As a preeminent physicist, he radically transformed
our understanding of the universe. As an ardent humanist, he took an active
and outspoken stance on the significant political and social issues of his time.
As a committed Jew, he advocated a distinctive moral role for the Jewish
people.

Albert Einstein's contribution to modern physics is simply unique. His
scientific career was a constant quest for the universal and immutable laws,
which govern the physical world. His theories spanned the fundamental
questions of nature, from the very large to the very small, from the cosmos to
sub-atomic particles. He overturned the established concepts of time and space,
energy and matter. Einstein played a crucial role in establishing the two pillars of
20th century physics: he was the father of the theory of relativity and a major
contributor to quantum theory.

Science was Albert Einstein's first love, yet he always found time to devote tireless efforts to political causes close to his heart. His ardent humanism led him to strive for peace, freedom and social justice. The young Einstein found the authoritarianism and militarism of the German educational system profoundly disturbing. The virulent nationalism and brutality of the First World War served to confirm Einstein's pacifist and internationalist convictions.

Throughout his life, Albert Einstein felt a close affinity with the Jewish people. Einstein defined Judaism as a culture with a shared historical past and common ethical values rather than as an institutionalized religion. For him the main values of Judaism were intellectual aspiration and the pursuit of social justice. Like Spinoza, he did not believe in a personal god, but that the divine reveals itself in the physical world. Einstein supported the creation of a homeland for the Jews in Palestine. However, he stipulated that any solution of the Arab-Jewish conflict had to be based on mutual understanding and consent.