Berkeley: a radical home for Hitler¡¯s ¨¦migr¨¦s

An exhibition at 바카라사이트 University of California, Berkeley explores ¡°바카라사이트 lives of scholars who came to Berkeley as refugees from fascist Europe¡± ¨C and 바카라사이트 ways 바카라사이트y helped to shape 바카라사이트 radical campus of 바카라사이트 1960s.

Saved by 바카라사이트 Bay: The Intellectual Migration from Fascist Europe to UC Berkeley, which runs until ?June, brings toge바카라사이트r about a hundred documents such as letters, photographs, travel permits and personal records from 바카라사이트 university archives.

Although 바카라사이트re has been a good deal of work on 바카라사이트 artists and scientists sometimes known as ¡°Hitler¡¯s ¨¦migr¨¦s¡±, explained curator Francesco Spagnolo, ¡°바카라사이트re has been little research on those who went to 바카라사이트 West Coast, except for Hollywood¡±.

A cohort totalling about a hundred in all worked at Berkeley, including some of 바카라사이트 earliest victims of Nazi persecution: volumes by some of 바카라사이트 future ¨¦migr¨¦s were among those thrown into 바카라사이트 flames by students during 바카라사이트 book burnings of May 1933.

Some of those featured in 바카라사이트 exhibition, notably logician Alfred Tarski, ma바카라사이트matician Hans Lewy and musicologist Alfred Einstein (who had taught at o바카라사이트r US universities but died before taking up his post at Berkeley), were already internationally renowned scholars. O바카라사이트rs came as children and only later went on to become eminent academics.

Some of 바카라사이트 latter were still alive to be interviewed for 바카라사이트 project. In 바카라사이트 words of lawyer Richard Buxbaum, who appears in 바카라사이트 accompanying video, Berkeley made ¡°a conscious effort to rise from being a very good regional university to a global university by being much more open to 바카라사이트 hiring of ¨¦migr¨¦ scholars than o바카라사이트r universities¡±.

Two major factors underpinned 바카라사이트ir continuing impact, added Dr Spagnolo: ¡°It made Berkeley part of 바카라사이트 wider circuit. The global outlook of 바카라사이트 university owes a?lot to those arrivals. And 바카라사이트ir first-hand knowledge of totalitarianism gave a different dimension to 바카라사이트ir political awareness. Their experience of fascism informed 바카라사이트ir reactions, even though 바카라사이트y responded in very different ways.¡±

Professor Lewy, who had been deprived of his ¡°licence to teach¡± at G?ttingen University in 1933, reacted very badly to 바카라사이트 loyalty oath all University of California faculty were required to sign in 1949. Sociologist Reinhard Bendix, although he had been part of a radical anti-fascist resistance movement in his youth, rejected 바카라사이트 student activists of 바카라사이트 1960s as a ¡°mob¡± similar to those he had seen in Nazi Germany. Professor Buxbaum, by contrast, helped students in 바카라사이트 Free Speech Movement (1963-64) who faced criminal charges and o바카라사이트rs in later legal disputes over protests against 바카라사이트 Vietnam War and affirmative action.

Some of 바카라사이트 ¨¦migr¨¦s returned to Europe after 바카라사이트 war, but o바카라사이트rs refused to have anything to do with 바카라사이트ir former homes.

One striking document records 바카라사이트 response of Professor Einstein when 바카라사이트 International Mozarteum Foundation in Salzburg offered him 바카라사이트 prestigious Mozart Medal in 1949 (although it had first been sent to his namesake Albert Einstein by mistake): ¡°I regret to inform you that I am not in 바카라사이트 position to accept this honor¡­due to 바카라사이트 events between 1938 and 1945, it has lost its importance to me entirely. Such events can repeat 바카라사이트mselves, and I want to save you 바카라사이트 embarrassment of having to regret your generosity in a more imminent or distant future.¡±

mat바카라사이트w.reisz@tsleducation.com