"Jewish Mathematics" at Gottingen in the Era of Felix Klein Author(s): David E. Rowe Reviewed work(s): Source: Isis, Vol. 77, No. 3 (Sep., 1986), pp. 422-449 Published by: The University of Chicago Press on behalf of The History of Science Society Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/231607 . Accessed: 22/01/2012 15:18 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact
[email protected]. The University of Chicago Press and The History of Science Society are collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Isis. http://www.jstor.org "Jewish Mathematics" at Gottingen in the Era of Felix Klein By David E. Rowe* I. KLEIN'S DISPUTED LEGACY IN 1936 THE GOTTINGER TAGEBLATT, a right-wing newspaper, printed an article with the headline: "Felix Klein was an Aryan. Which no one, in Got- tingen at least, doubted." According to the Tageblatt, Klein's ancestry was cleared by his family after the Vcilkischer Beobachter, official mouthpiece for the Nazi party, reported that he was of Jewish descent. The source of the error was said to be the Jewish Encyclopedia, but the Tageblatt added, "It is well known that the Jews love to stamp famous men as Jewish in order to increase the pres- tige of their people."1 Of course, the Nazi party was very diligent when it came to tracing a suspi- cious family's ethnic background.