From: goykhman_a@apollo.hp.com (Alex Goykhman)
Subject: Re: Shafarevich and National Academy
Date: Wed, 2 Sep 1992 18:20:53 GMT
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Company, Chelmsford, MA

In article <1992Sep2.002754.15297@husc3.harvard.edu> verbit@zariski.harvard.edu (Mikhail S. Verbitsky) writes:
...
>Academy of Sciences). Shafarevich is, of course, a jerk, but
>Shen feels that he is a lot better than most of Russian
>science officials, and that his opinions should not be a
>reason for this action. He writes that Shafarevich never
>acted as antisemit, but only speaks as one ...
...

    Same could be (and was!) said about Hitler at the time 
    he wrote his Mein Kampf.

>    [To the National Academy of Sciences, USA]
>
>    [Cc: I.Shafarevich]

    Kissing Shafarevich's ass, in public.
>
>     [The antisemitism did exist in the Soviet mathematics]
>[and people directly responsible for it still keep their]
>[positions. An example: the currect rector of Moscow State]
>[University, Sadovnichiy, was the official head of the]
>[admission commitee of that University during many years]
>[of the discrimination of Jewish applicants. (Being a]
>[mathematics teacher of Moscow mathematical schools, I've]
>[seen it in details.)]

    Discriminating against Jewish applicants was the official 
    party line, but not everyone who took part in implementing 
    that policy was anti-semitic, some did it to keep their
    jobs (I know nothing about Sadovnichiy's attitude toward
    the Jews).

    Correct me if I am wrong, but I do not not believe that
    nowadays people in Russia are forced by the goverment
    to speak against the Jews.  Therefore, those who do 
    do it voluntarily, and they are the true anti-semits.
>
>     [But one should distinguish between actions and opinions;]
>[I may (and do) disagree with some of Shafarevich's views]
>[expressed in his writings but still trust him much more]
>[than the politicians such as the current president of]
>[Russian Academy of Sciences, Osipov, who claims (in]
>[his interview to the "Los-Angeles times", according to]
>"[Moscow News" information) that he was shocked by the]
>[antisemitism at the last Academy election; at the same]
>[time he managed not to see this (obvious) fact before]
>([as far as I know he never made any public statements]
>[though he was a professor at Moscow University for]
>[several years).]

    Another word, Mr.Shen trusts an outspoken anti-semit
    much more than somebody who spoke against anti-semitism...

    Aside from that, those Jewish scientists that are
    trying to reform the Russian Academy of Sciences
    by working within the system simply don't get it.

>     [So I believe that National Academy of Sciences]
>[should reconsider its attitude to Shafarevich.]

    I say, expel the anti-semitic bastard.

>
>               [Alexander Shen,]
>   [teacher of Moscow mathematical schools (1978-1992)]
>
>Sender: Misha Verbitsky.

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