Journal BAS ^ Association of Jewish Refugees the Rescue of Refugee Scholars
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VOLUME 9 NO.2 FEBRUARY 2009 journal BAS ^ Association of Jewish Refugees The rescue of refugee scholars eventy-five years ago, in 1933, Robbins on the spot. The AAC, which was the Academic Assistance Council, essentially mn from within the academic known from 1936 as the Society for community in Britain, then came into being the Protection of Science and very quickly. SLeaming, was founded. The AAC/SPSL was In May 1933, a letter signed by a list of a remarkable body that played a unique part leading figures in British university and in the rescue of scholars and scientists, intellectual life was published in The Times, mostly Jewish, who had been dismissed by proposing the establishment of an organi the Nazis from their posts at German and sation to rescue the careers and lives of Austrian universities and whose livelihoods, displaced academics. The Council's initial and lives, were endangered. declaration was signed by over 40 of Brit After the passing of the Gesetz zur ain's most eminent men of scholarship, Wiederherstellung des Bemfsbeamtentums including John Maynard Keynes, Gilbert of 7 April 1933, aimed at removing racially Murray, the Presidents of the Royal Society and politically undesirable persons from and the British Academy, and 9 Chancel the civil service, something like a quarter Esther Simpson OBE lors or Vice-Chancellors of universities and of the academic staff at German sciences), an extraordinary record of 7 Masters or Directors of colleges. The universities and research institutes were academic achievement. celebrated scientist Lord Rutherford became dismissed, of whom some 2,000, or about The two principal initiators of the AAC the AAC's first president. The project re two thirds, emigrated. This exodus of in 1933 were, in different ways, the ceived a notable boost on 3 October 1933, academic talent was on a scale Hungarian-bom scientist Leo Szilard, who when a public meeting was held at the unprecedented in modem times; Germany had left his university position in Berlin as Albert Hall in support of the refugees from lost its place at the forefront of science and soon as Hitler came ta power, and Sir Germany. Among the speakers was Albert scholarship, while the recipient countries, William (later Lord) Beveridge, Director of Einstein, whose speech on 'Science and Civi principally the USA but also Britain, the London School of Economics and lisation' generated enormous enthusiasm. benefited hugely. subsequently father of Britain's welfare By summer 1933, the AAC was The dazzling contribution that thejewish state. In April 1933, Szilard, who was functioning in cramped offices in Burlington refugees from Hitler made to British already hard at work persuading threatened House, above the Royal Society. As its intellectual, culhiral and scientific life is well colleagues to leave Nazi Germany for workload increased, it moved to premises known. Some academic disciplines, like art positions abroad, was in Vienna, where he in the LSE, to Gordon Square, then to history and psychoanalysis, hardly existed met a young Englishwoman, Esther (Tess) Cambridge during the war. Walter Adams, in Britain before the arrival of the refugees, Simpson; she became the devoted a London University academic who later while many others, from philosophy and adminisfrator of the AAC/SPSL, responsible became director of the LSE, was its first classics to musicology and economics, were for its day-to-day working. general secretary, Szilard added his fransformed and enriched beyond measure Beveridge, who was visiting the same considerable energies, and Tess Simpson by the intellectual stimulus from the hotel in Vienna, lent a sympathetic ear to ran the office. The AAC faced the twin German-speaking countries. In the natural Szilard's concems. Beveridge and the LSE problems of funds and academic posts. Its sciences, one need only cite such names as economist Lionel Robbins (later Lord funding was modest, consisting mainly of Emst Chain, Francis Simon, Rudolf Peierls, Robbins, responsible for the Robbins Report donations from individuals, membership Hans Krebs and Max Pemtz. By 1992, the of 1963 that transformed Britain's system subscriptions and some larger donations displaced scholars and their children of higher education) met with the famous from organisations. The then considerable included 16 Nobel laureates, 18 Austrian economist Ludwig von Mises, who amount of £3,100 was raised from the knighthoods, 74 Fellows and 6 Foreign arrived clutching a newspaper report of the academic staff at the LSE, who, in a Members of the Royal Society (in the first dismissals at the German universities. remarkable demonstration of solidarity with sciences) and 34 Fellows and 18 The need to provide for these early victims their displaced Crerman colleagues, agreed Corresponding Members of the British of Nazi persecution was immediately clear to donate a voluntary lev>' of 1-3 per cent of Academy (in the humanities and social to Beveridge, and he outlined his plan to I continued overleaf \ AJRJOURNAL FEBRUARY 2009 THE RESCUE OF REFUGEE SCHOLARS continued from page I their salaries. difficulty of adapting to a strange working These funds did not mn to creating jobs environment. Some did not manage the for dismissed scholars. Instead, the AAC transition at all and failed to re-establish provided them with maintenance grants, to themselves and their careers; there were tide them over while it helped them to make even suicides. The bulk of those placed by contact with institutions where they might the SPSL were established scholars of some find posts. The grants were modest: £250 distinction in their thirties and forties. KT members enjoyed a splendid Chanukah per annum for a married scholar, £182 for a Academics over 50 proved less willing to Party at the AJR Centre. The Rev Bernd single person. As the absorptive capacity of emigrate, while less assistance was provided Koschland officiated. the British university system was limited, to those under 30, since the host universities the SPSL paid travel grants to enable were reluctant to deprive young native scholars to visit the USA, where often scholars of job openings. Beyond the Call Of Duty enough they found positions at universities Scientists were at an advantage, since his 60-page booklet describes the with which the SPSL had put them in touch. science spoke an intemational language and work of British diplomats and Tess Simpson's devoted work on behalf the benefits of attracting top-class scientists Tother Britons who worked to of the refugee academics encompassed the were obvious. Alfred Lindemann, later Lord help Jews leave Germany, Austria and estimating of their means and needs, the Cherwell and Churchill's wartime scientific Czechoslovakia in 1938-39. It is based on registration of their qualifications and adviser, fransformed science at Oxford by Sir Martin Gilbert's archival research and his correspondence with many of those research expertise, and the painstaking work finding positions, often research fellowships who were the beneficiaries of these acts involved in fitting the right scholar to the funded by the chemicals giant ICI, for of rescue. right position. The individual attention that refugee scientists: with the arrival of Francis Among those who gave refuge to Simpson dispensed so generously to her Simon, Kurt Mendelssohn, Nicolas Kurti and Jews in their homes, Lady Thatcher and charges earned her the lasting affection of Heinz London, Oxford suddenly outclassed Lord Attenborough also contributed Cambridge in the field of low temperature entire sections of the British scientific their recollections, as did the Duke of establishment. She had to dovetail her work physics. By contrast, history was a subject Edinburgh, who, as a schoolboy in with that of other organisations in the field, divided by national boundaries, and Germany when Hitler came to power, particularly the Notgemeinschaft deutscher historians fared badly: Arthur Rosenberg, made a courageous gesture to a fellow- Wissenschaftler im Ausland, a Zurich-based author of seminal studies of the fall of the schoolboy who was Jewish. organisation created by refugees that later Wilhelmine Empire and the birth of the The booklet was written for the merged with the SPSL, and the Emergency Weimar Republic, held a temporary post at unveiling of a plaque at the Foreign and Committee in Aid of Displaced German/ Liverpool University for three years, but Commonwealth Office on 20 November Foreign Scholars in the USA. then had to re-emigrate to America, while 2008 by Foreign Secretary David The AAC's work rapidly bore fmit: by Hans Baron, an expert on the Italian Miliband in recognition of the work of July 1935, 57 refugee scholars had been Renaissance, stayed in Britain for two years the British diplomats in making a special found permanent positions in Britain, and jobless, before he too found a position in effort to help Jews leave. 155 more were in temporary research and the USA. Dedicated to seven of the British teaching posts. By 1936 it had become Many refugee scholars passed through diplomats, copies of 'Beyond the Call of apparent that the AAC was not just facing Britain, but found permanent positions in Duty' can be obtained by sending a cheque for £5, made payable to 'Sir a passing emergency, but that the America. The wealth of talent lost to Britain Martin Gilbert', to 'Beyond the Call of persecution of 'undesirable' scholars in has often been lamented: among the Duty' booklet, c/o Lydia Dmkarz, The PR Germany was likely to continue and scientists who went on to America were such Office, 720 Highgate Studios, 53-79 intensify. The Council was accordingly giants as Edward Teller, Hans Bethe and Highgate Road, London NW5 ITL. Only reconstituted on a more permanent basis as Leo Szilard. There is some truth in the cheques can be accepted as payment for the SPSL, which aimed to provide research charges that British universities were too the booklet.