Albert Einstein and "The Case of Juda Leman": From Yiddish Physics to Hollywood

Abstract:This paper analyzes the complex personal relationship between Albert Einstein and his protégé Juda Leman (1899–1975). Leman was one of Einstein's private Ostjude students in Berlin and became a leading popularizer of physics for Jews in the 1920s, in part through the composition of physics books in Yiddish. However, while Einstein strongly encouraged Leman to pursue a career in teaching physics, Leman instead chose to attempt a career as a Hollywood screenwriter. This decision led to a deterioration of the Einstein-Leman relationship and presented Einstein with what he called "the case of Juda Leman." The current paper aims to dissect this "case" by examining the sociological forces that shaped Leman's life trajectory. While Leman did not become the physicist that Einstein hoped for, this paper asserts that Leman's life mirrored the changing circumstances of many Jews and writers over the course of the twentieth century.