D O C U M E N T 6 8 F E B R U A R Y 1 9 2 1 1 0 5
Tgm. [36 839]. The telegram is addressed “proffessor albert einstein haverland strasse 5 berlin,” and
postmarked “Deutsches Haupt-Telegraphenamt Berlin 27.2.[1921].”
[1]Ratnoff (1875–1947) was Medical Director and obstetrician at the Jewish Maternity Hospital in
New York, and founder and president of the American Jewish Physicians Committee. He had been a
classmate of Chaim Weizmann (see Finkel 1937, p. 196).
[2]The American Jewish Physicians’ Committee (AJPC) had just been founded by Ratnoff and a
group of fellow physicians from New York City. The committee was not an integral part of the Zionist
Organisation: it was founded as “an independent body but in harmony and co-operation with the Zion-
ist Organisation” (see Hebrew University 1924, p. 4). For Ratnoff’s own account of the initial steps
taken toward establishing the AJPC, see Ratnoff 1921. According to David Kaliski, chairman of its
executive committee, the AJPC was “inspired to the effort by the plea of the great Jewish scholar,
Albert Einstein” (see Kaliski 1925, p. 345). Its overall goal was to raise funds for “the establishment,
inauguration, maintenance and upkeep of a medical department of the Hebrew University in Pales-
tine” (see NNAFHU, The Certificate of Incorporation of American Jewish Physicians’ Committee,
Inc., 22 November 1921,
§2).
The original incorporators of the committee were the prominent Jewish
physicians Nathan Ratnoff, Israel Strauss, Samuel J. Kopetzky, Israel S. Wechsler, and Abraham J.
Rongy (see NNAFHU, The Certificate of Incorporation of American Jewish Physicians Committee,
Inc., 22 November
1921).
The committee’s first immediate objective was to fund the establishment
of a research institute in microbiology (see Kaliski 1925, p. 345). Detailed plans for an institute of
microbiology and tropical diseases had been drawn up by the medical subcommittee of the Zionist
Organisation’s University Committee, which had been established in London in 1920 (see Hebrew
University 1948, pp. 3–4).
Fund-raising preparations for the planned medical faculty began prior to Weizmann and Einstein’s
arrival in the United States. A day before the men disembarked in New York, the Zionist Organization
of America informed Weizmann that “we have group physicians preparing Einstein banquet interest
University” (Levin Neumann to Chaim Weizmann, 1 April 1921 [IsJCZA, Z4/303/1]). For Stephen
Wise’s highly skeptical view of the fund-raising efforts of the American Jewish Physicians Commit-
tee, see memo by Stephen Wise on his luncheon with Chaim Weizmann, 26 April 1921 (NNAJHS,
Stephen S. Wise Collection).
68. From Paul Ehrenfest
[Leiden,] 28 II 1921
Lieber, lieber Einstein!
Von Lorentz höre ich über Deinen Jerusalem-Zug nach
Dollardia![1]
1. Damit ist
mir ein großer Stein vom Herzen gefallen, der mich zur Zeit der Abfassung meines
letzten Briefes an Dich
bedrückte[2]
—
2. Verzeihe mir meinen Brief der aus großer Seelenangst entstanden war. Ich
hatte möglichst in scherzendem Ton geschrieben um Dich nicht bös zu machen.
Aber in Wirklichkeit war ich—wegen falscher Hypothesen gar nicht fröhlich!—
3. Falls nur einigermaßen Hoffnung besteht, dass das
Universitätsproject[3]
ge-
lingt halte ich es für sehr richtig und sehr sehr schön, dass Du das Opfer dieser Rei-
se mit allem hässlichen Tschindribum-Trarara drum herum für dieses Ziel auf Dich
genommen hast.—
Lass mich hoffen, dass es Deiner Gesundheit nicht schaden
wird!![4]
—
Falls Du durch Holland reist würde ich um auch nur eine halbe Stunde Dich se-
hen zu können Dir beliebig weit (innerhalb Holland) entgegenreisen. Lass mich
deshalb ganz kurz wissen ob Du durch Holland reist. Wann längs welchen Weges!