|
Press Release – April 6, 2005
ALBERT EINSTEIN LETTERS
COME HOME
Click on the above
thumbnail to view the letter
SOUTHOLD, NY. Winter is a slow time on the North
Fork of Long Island. Farmers prepare for the spring, shopkeepers go on vacation,
and things in general move forward slowly. But exciting things can happen in
winter.
Towards the end of the year the Southold Historical Society
was able to work with one local family to bring back to Southold a collection of
letters written by Albert Einstein (1879-1955). While most of these letters
would return to the family, one would join the thousands of important historical
documents already cared for by the Society.
This year, 2005, is the “Year of Einstein,” a commemoration
of the 100th anniversary of his famous 1905 publications on Brownian
Motion, Photoelectric Effect, and Special Relativity and the 50th
anniversary of his death. “It is a wonderful coincidence that these important
historical documents became available when they did,” stated Fleming.
The first hint of this important “cache” of letters
occurred while the Society’s director, Geoffrey Fleming, was perusing recent
listings on eBay, the online auction website. While looking at items relating
to Southold he spotted a listing that mentioned the words “Einstein” and
“letter.”
The listing was for a letter written by Einstein to his
great friend, David Rothman (1896-1981). Rothman had befriended Einstein when
he came to Peconic to spend the summers between 1938 and 1939. Einstein stayed
at a home located on Old (West) Cove Road on Nassau Point and visited Rothman’s
store in Southold in search of his elusive “sundial” sandals. He enjoyed
sailing around Peconic Bay and playing with a small group of local musicians,
including members of the Rothman family, that he befriended.
During the next several years Einstein and Rothman would
correspond regularly, discussing boating, music, and a host of more lofty
ideas. Most of the letters sent to Rothman had been dispersed years ago, and
the letter on eBay was one of them.
“The collections committee discussed this letter at length
and agreed it was something the Society should attempt to acquire,” stated
Fleming. The letter already had several bids including one that caught Mr.
Fleming’s eye. The bidder had the username “Rothguitar” which seemed very
familiar to Fleming.
“I looked out our office window across the street to the
windows of Rothman’s Department Store that were filled with guitars and got the
feeling I knew who the bidder was,” continued Fleming. A quick phone call
confirmed his suspicion. The bidder was Ron Rothman, David’s grandson.
Fleming and Rothman spoke at length about the letter. Ron
explained that many of the letters had left the family before he and his
siblings and cousins realized their important connection to the family and local
history. He very much wanted to own one personally. Fleming and Rothman agreed
not to compete for the letter, but rather work together to find out if there
were more.
After contacting the seller it was discovered that there
was a grouping of letters all written to David Rothman and that they were all
available for sale. Rothman began contacting his family and asked if any wanted
to help purchase the letters and many responded very quickly that they did.
He and Fleming then set out on agreement by which an
original letter would be available for the Society to acquire and copies of the
letters that were purchased by the Rothman family members would also be made
accessible through the Society’s archive.
“This was a win-win situation for everybody,” stated
Fleming, “Together we were able to bring one of the most important collections
of Einstein letters relating to the North Fork back here and make them available
for the public” he continued.
The letters are those that reveal the close friendship that
has developed between David Rothman and Einstein. Covering the years 1940-44,
they discuss boating, food, health, as well as some more scientific matters,
including discussions concerning Dr. Elfenbein, who was stuck in Europe and very
much wanted to come to America.
“Those concerning Dr. Elfenbein are extremely interesting,”
stated Fleming, “They reveal a man desperate to escape a Europe controlled by
the Nazi’s.” In those letters relating to Elfenbein, Einstein writes that
Elfenbein is “desperate” and wishes to come to America. By 1944 Einstein had
written to Rothman that he did not see “the slightest possibility under the
present circumstances to help him emigrate to this country.”
The letter that the Society acquired dealt with one of
Einstein’s great loves, his small boat, “Tineff.” The boat, whose name in
Yiddish meant “worthless,” was Einstein’s favorite place to go and contemplate
new ideas, even if that meant drifting or just plain running aground in Peconic
Bay. The letter was sent from Knollwood on Saranac Lake, where Einstein had
begun to go to for health reasons on the recommendation of his doctors. David
Rothman helped ensure that Einstein could continue to enjoy his boat upstate by
arranging the shipping of the “Tineff” to the Lake in the early summer of 1940.
Dated July 20, 1940, the letter reads “Dear Mr. Rothman: I
was really touched when I received your kind gift. I feel happy indeed about
your kindness and at the same time ashamed because I could not show my gratitude
for all the care and connection with my boat.- I am going sailing daily with my
sister and I am homesick when I think of the beautiful musical evenings. With
kind regards to you, your family, and the musical friends, yours sincerely, A.
Einstein.”
“With the acquisition of this letter, the return of the
others to the Rothman family, and the copies of those that have now been placed
in our archive, we are in a position to better understand his impact on our
community and the American way of life,” stated Fleming.
The letter joins another already held by the Society that
was written to local resident Reginald Donahue to thank him for photographs that
Donahue had taken of Einstein in 1939. This letter and the accompanying four
original, black and white photographs depicting Einstein and friends were the
gift of the Estate of Reginald Donahue in 1993.
The newly acquired letter and copies of the Rothman family
letters are available for viewing at the Southold Historical Society by
appointment.
For further images or information, please
call Geoffrey Fleming at (631) 765-5500.
|
