Isidor Isaac Rabi, the Nobel Laureate physicist and one of the world’s most renowned scientists, laments the fact the Jews are not as prominent in the world of science today as they were a generation ago.
"Jews used to be the best scholars and scientists. But the young Jews of this generation go to Wall Street. They make money. Now the best scholars are the Orientals," the 89-year-old Rabi said in an interview here.
But, he noted, Jews are still contributing to the world of science. "All I can say is that I am pleased."
Rabi, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in physics in 1944 for his work on magnetic properties of atomic nuclei, was asked to rank Israel’s position in the world of science today. "Israel is a modern scientific state. It is not a world leader, but it plays a significant role in the world of science. It is not like France, the United States or West Germany, but it can certainly be compared to Austria, for instance, or be placed above Norway or Poland when it comes to science," Rabi observed.
LONG ASSOCIATION WITH COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY
Rabi was born on July 29, 1898, in Rymanow, Galicia, which was then part of Austria-Hungary, to an Orthodox Jewish family. He immigrated to the United States with his family at the age of 2, and has ever since been living in New York.
He has had a 63-year association with Columbia University, which in 1985 accorded him the rare honor of creating a professorial chair in his name. In 1967 he was named Professor Emeritus by the university. Still very much active and alert today, he remains a familiar figure on Columbia’s campus, where he meets with students, attends seminars and works in his office almost daily. He is also a member of Israel’s Bar-Ilan University’s Science Advisory Committee.
ROLE OF SCIENCE IN MODERN TIMES
Sitting in the living room of his Riverside Drive apartment overlooking the Hudson River, Rabi reflected on the role of science in modern times. "Science is the most important subject in the modern human world," he said. "Science gives you the power over nature, but this power implies ethical responsibility. Therefore, ethics must also come out of science…"
Does the linkage between science and ethics mean that science can be misused?
Rabi replied in the affirmative. "Science can be misused when it is used to kill people," he said, "or when the science of psychology, to give another example, is used to manipulate people."
The professor, however, is aware that some times there are just wars, such as the war against Nazi Germany, or Israel’s wars against its enemies.
"I was not against the making of the atom bomb during the war. We were in an emergency then, trying to save civilization. But a just cause is hard to define … You have to use it (science) in self-defense. It is a just war to fight somebody like Hitler or the Ayatollah Khomeini," Rabi said, referring to Iran’s fanatical leader.
On the subject of science and religion, Rabi said: "If you mean a religion which is found in the supernatural, it is very difficult for a scientist to follow, although some of the scientists I know are devout Jews and Christians. I am a religious person in a sense that I am a Jew. I am glad I am a Jew. I am not an atheist. I have no objection to the idea of God, the Creator, but I find it hard to follow the idea of God, the Administrator. It is less nobel than the grand idea of God the Creator."
Although he was born to an Orthodox Jewish family, whose many members perished in the Holocaust, Rabi says he does not practice the rituals of the Jewish religion. Asked if he attends synagogue on Yom Kippur, he said, "No."
COMFORTABLE AS AN AMERICAN JEW
Rabi said he finds it "wonderful" being an American and very comfortable as an American Jew. "I am not suggesting that there is no anti-Semitism here, but I think it is natural. We (the human race) are so built that we do not like strangers. We, the Jews, are different, and no matter how much we imitate the others, we are still Jews," he said.
Did he encounter anti-Semitism during his academic career?
"Yes and no," he replied. "I had a feeling that I would be admitted to many elements of society if I were not Jewish. But once I was in the academic world I did not really encounter anti-Semitism. I always made it clear that I am a Jew. I found it an advantage to be a Jew, to be part of a great history… and to the non-Jews, Jews are a mystery," Rabi observed.
He said that he is "first of all an American. That’s all I know, that’s the only experience I have." But he added, "I am very happy about Israel, that the Jews were able to establish a State and prevail against their many enemies and that the Jews were able to create a State that makes such significant contribution to any element of civilization and culture."
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
