Prof. Dr. Friedrich Hirzebruch Weyl Wrote an Obituary Published in the Middle of the War in Great Britain and the United States

Home , Erich Hecke, Friedrich Hirzebruch

Sonderbeilage zum ICM'98 in Berlin

mathematics in Germany was leading international ly. Among the presidents of the Society in this period were Felix Klein, Alexander Wilhelm von Brill, Max Noether, David Hilbert, Alfred Pringsheim, Friedrich Engel, Kurt Hensel, Erich Hecke, Otto Blumenthal, and Hermann Weyl. Alfred Pringsheim died in Zürich in 1941 at the age of 90 after having escaped from Germany. Ed mund Landau lost his chair in Göttingen in 1934. Otto Blumenthai was deported to the concentration camp Theresienstadt, where he died in 1944. Her mann Weyl, president of our society in 1932, emi grated to the United States in 1933. He worked at Opening Address of the the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton to gether with Albert Einstein, Kurt Gödel, John von Honorary President of ICM'98 Neumann, who were all members of our society. David Hilbert died in Göttingen in 1943. Hermann Prof. Dr. Friedrich Hirzebruch Weyl wrote an obituary published in the middle of the war in Great Britain and the United States. I At the closing session in Zürich, I invited the con quote: "Not until many years after the first world gress to Berlin on behalf of the German Mathema war, after Felix Klein had gone and Richard Courant tical Society (DMV) . The Organizing Committee in had succeeded him, towards the end of the sadly brief Berlin under Professor Martin Grötschel has worked period of the German Republic, did Kleins dream of hard and very efficiently using the most modern deve the Mathematical Institute at Göttingen come true. lopments of electronic communication. As honorary But soon the Nazi storm broke and those who had president of this committee I had to do very litt laid the plans and who taught there besides Hilbert le, but I had ample chance to admire their work. where scattered over the earth, and the years after I wish to thank Professor Grötschel and all mem 1933 became for Hilbert years of ever deepening tra bers of his committee very much, especially for ma gic loneliness." king the honorary presidency so easy forme. In 1904 the Congress was in Heidelberg, supported by Kaiser To those "scattered over the earth" belongs Ern Wilhelm and the Grand Duke of Baden. This time my Noether, the famous Göttingen mathematician, our support comes from the Federal Republic of Ger daughter of Max Noether, president of the German many and the Land Berlin. We are grateful for the Mathematical Society in 1899. generous support. I welcome Staatssekretär Wilhelm It is not possible for me here to analyse the beha Staudacher, who will read a message of the Presi viour of the DMV and its members during the Nazi dent of Germany, who agreed to be the protector of time, or its reaction to the Nazi time after the war. this Congress. The Federal support comes through When we began to prepare the present congress, it the Minister of Education, Science, Research, and was clear for us that we "must not forget." My ge Technology. I welcome the Minister Dr. Jürgen Rütt• neration should be unable to forget. Many of my age gers. The Land Berlin is represented by its Governing have good friends all over the world where parents Mayor Eberhard Diepgen. We thank the Technical or other family members were killed in Auschwitz. University and its president Professor Hans-Jürgen We must teach the next generation "not to forget." Ewers for letting us use the University as venue of The German Mathematical Society has announced a the Congress. In 1990 the German Mathematical So special activity during this congress to honour the ciety (DMV) celebrated its 100th anniversary. Our memory of the victims of the Nazi terror. I read from application to issue a special postage stamp on this this announeerneut and ask you to participate: event was turned down. We are all the happier that "In 1998, the ICM returns to Germany after an inter for this congress a special stamp will be issued and mission of 94 years. This long interval covers the dar Staatssekretär Hansgeorg Hauser will present it to kest period in German history. Therefore, the DMV us. wants to honour the memory of all those who suf I mentioned the 100th anniversary of the DMV. Its fered under the Nazi terror. We shall do this in the first president was Georg Cantor, the founder of set form of an exhibition presenting the biographies of theory. He was an ardent fighter for the establishment 53 mathematicians from Berlin who were victims of of the International Mathematical Congress. From the Nazi regime between 1933 and 1945. The fate of the founding years of the DMV up to Nazi times, this small group illustrates painfully well the personal

26 DMV-Mitteilungen 3/ 98 sufferings and the destruction of scientific and cultu United States. It is a pleasure to wel rallife; it also sheds some light on the instruments of come his daughter Rachel Theilheimer. Suppression and the mechanism of collaboration. Schur and Theilheimer both belong to In addition, there will be a special session entitled the 53 mathematicians honoured in the 'Mathematics in the Third Reich and Racial and Po exhibition. litical Persecution' with two talks given by Joel Lebo In addition, I welcome Franz Alt, driven away from witz (Rutgers University), 'Victims, Oppressors, Ac Vienna, who emigrated to the United States and is tivists, and Bystanders: Scientists Response to Raci with us today as a guest of the DMV. al and Political Persecution,' and Herbert Mehrtens In 1961 I became president of the DMV as succes (Technische Hochschule Braunschweig), 'Mathema sor of Ott-Heinrich Keller from Halle in the German tics and Mathematicians in Nazi Germany. History Democratic Republic (DDR). The wall had just be and Memory.' " en built. The Mathematical Society of the DDR was Of the 53 mathematicians from Berlin honoured in founded. In 1990 I was president agairr and had to the exhibition, three are here with us as guests of the work for the reintegration of the DDR society into Senate of Berlin and the German Mathematical So the DMV. ciety. I greet them with pleasure and thanks. They We look hopefully into the future and are happy as are Michael Golomb, United States, Walter Leder the reunited DMV to host the congress. mann, Great Britain, and Bernhard Neumann, Au Progress and future of mathematics are represented stralia. by the laureates of the Fielcis medal and the Nevan The last student of the famous Berlin mathematici linna prize. It will be a great honour and pleasure for an Issai Schur is Feodor Theilheimer who lives in the me to hand over the Fielcis medals to the winners.

Bundesminister Dr. Jürgen Rüttgers, MdB

Grußwort an den Internationalen Mathematiker-Kongreß

Herr Präsident Mumford, gensatz zum öffentlichen Verständnis stand - was Herr Professor Grötschel, der Begeisterung aber keinen Abbruch tat! Die we Herr Regierender Bürgermeister, niger spektakulären Fortschritte der Mathematik ge meine sehr verehrten Damen und Herren, langen der Öffentlichkeit dagegen kaum zur Kenntnis. Deshalb wird die Vitalität Ihrer Wissenschaft von 101 J ahre nach Ihrem ersten Internationalen Kongreß den uninformierten Zeitgenossen oftmals fälschlich und zwei J ahre vor der Jahrtausendwende haben sich gering eingeschätzt. Doch anders als es diese Wahr Mathematiker aus der ganzen Welt hier in Berlin ver nehmung unterstellt, ist die Mathematik eine leben sammelt. Ich begrüße Sie im Namen der Bundesregie dige, ja eine quicklebendige Wissenschaft. Sie wirkt rung ganz herzlich in der alten und neuen Hauptstadt in vielfältiger Weise in unser modernes Leben hin Deutschlands. ein. Die Bedeutung der Mathematik reicht weit über I. ihr eigenes Fachgebiet hinaus: Die Mathematik ist so Vor wenigen Jahren wurden die beiden Teile dieser etwas wie eine gemeinsame Sprache. Sie ermöglicht Stadt und die beiden Teile Deutschlands wiederverei eine präzise Verständigung innerhalb der Naturwis nigt . Erleben Sie mit uns, wie ein neuer Geist der Of senschaften und der Ingenieurwissenschaften und im fenheit und Universalität Berlin beflügelt. Wir dürfen mer mehr auch in den Sozial- und Wirtschaftswis Ihren Kongreß als eine Würdigung dieses Geistes auf senschaften. Die Mathematik ist - mehr noch - eine fassen. Zugleich unterstreicht der Kongreß die Bedeu Schlüsseltechnologie unserer Zeit. Ein Land, das im tung Berlins als Wissenschaftsstandort. globalen Wettlauf um Wissen und seine Nutzungen II. bestehen will, braucht eine Mathematik auf wissen schaftlichem Spitzenniveau. Es braucht aber auch ei Wir blicken auf ein Jahrhundert großartiger wissen ne mathematisch gut ausgebildete Bevölkerung. Ich schaftlicher Erfolge und Fortschritte zurück. Gera habe mir deshalb ein Ziel gesetzt: Ich will mich ge de in den letzten J ahren sind einige Probleme gelöst meinsam mit den dafür zuständigen Kultusministern worden, um die sich Mathematiker lange Zeit bemüht der Bundesländer dafür einsetzen, daß die mathema hatten. Ich nenne als Beispiel nur den Beweis der Fermatschen Vermutung - ein Ereignis, bei dem die tische Grundbildung in Deutschland gestärkt wird. Dazu sind drei Dinge notwendig: öffentliche Aufmerksamkeit in bemerkenswertem Ge-

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