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Brings Message from Balfour Urging Support for Hebrew University

December 17, 1926
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Dr. Selig Brodetsky, Professor of Applied Mathematics at the University of Leeds and one of the governors of the Hebrew University, who arrived in New York on Wednesday, brought with him a letter from the Earl of Balfour, asking for the support of Americans for the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Dr. Brodetsky came to the United States to join the Weizmann delegation which includes Dr. Georg Halperin and Dr. Chaim Arlosoroff.

Dr. Brodetsky will visit American universities, and confine his activities to enlisting the support of America for the Hebrew University. Professor Brodetsky is regarded as one of the foremost authorities on mathematics and aerodynamics in the world. He has been listed as one of the ten who understand the Einstein theory.

The attention of Dr. Brodetsky was called to the recent statement made by Dr. Pritchett of the Carnegie Peace Endowment in his report on Palestine to the effect that the Hebrew languatge could not be utilized as a medium for scientific expression. Dr. Brodetsky took direct issue with Dr. Pritchett. He stated that when in Jerusalem in 1925, he delivered two lectures, both in the Hebrew tongue on mathematical subjects. One of them was on the principles of dynamics from Aristotle to Einstein. The other was on a technical problem of pure mathematics. In neither case had he any difficulty in expressing himself “in the language of the prophets.”

The letter of the Earl of Balfour to Professor Brodetsky reads:

“I am much interested to hear that you propose visiting some of the great American universities for the purpose of enlisting their interest in the young University of Jerusalem. It is a most deserving institution and fully merits all the support you can obtain for it.”

Dr. Brodetsky’s publications include, beside many papers on Applied Mathematics a volume, “A First Course in Nomography” and “Mechanical Principles of the Aeroplane.” He was lecturer in mathematics at Bristol University before being called to Leeds. He was promoted to a professorship in Mathematics at Leeds in 1924. He is bringing out this year a life of Newton and will shortly publish a mathematical work on gravitation. He has also been one of the translators of Copernicus from Latin into English.

Franklin Ford, radio announcer at Radio Station WHAP, was excused from jury service by Judge Otto Rosalsky of General Sessions because of attacks he had broadcast against Catholics and Jews. Mr. Ford, who is said to have received many complaints because of religious prejudices he has expressed over the radio, was being examined for jury service in the case of Henry J. Williams, a Negro.

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