Selig Brodetsky | |
|---|---|
זליג ברודצקי | |
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| Born | 10 February 1888 Olviopol,Kherson Governorate, Russian Empire |
| Died | 18 May 1954(1954-05-18) (aged 66) London, England |
| Resting place | Willesden Jewish Cemetery |
| Education | Jews' Free School |
| Alma mater | Trinity College, Cambridge,Leipzig University |
| Occupation | Mathematician |
| Spouse | Manya Berenblum |
| Children | 1 son, 1 daughter |
| Parent(s) | Akiva Brodetsky Adel Prober |
| Relatives | Solomon Mestel(brother-in-law) Leon Mestel(nephew) |
Selig Brodetsky (Hebrew:אשר זליג ברודצקי,romanized: Asher Zelig Brodetsky; 10 February 1888 – 18 May 1954)[1] was an Englishmathematician, a member of theWorld Zionist Executive, the president of theBoard of Deputies of British Jews, and the second president of theHebrew University of Jerusalem.
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Brodetsky was born inOlviopol (now Pervomaisk) in theKherson Governorate of theRussian Empire (present-dayUkraine), the second of 13 children born to Akiva Brodetsky (thebeadle of the local synagogue) and Adel (Prober). As a child, he witnessed the murder of his uncle in apogrom. In 1894, the family followed Akiva to the East End of London, to where he had migrated a year earlier. Brodetsky attended theJews' Free School, where he excelled at his studies. He was awarded a scholarship, which enabled him to attend theCentral Foundation Boys' School of London[2] and subsequently, in 1905,Trinity College, Cambridge.
In 1908, he completed his studies with highest honours beingSenior Wrangler, to the distress of the conservative press, which was forced to recognise that a son of immigrants surpassed all the local students. TheNewton scholarship enabled him to study atLeipzig University where he was awarded a doctorate in 1913. His dissertation dealt with thegravitational field.
In 1919, he married Manya Berenblum, whose family had recently emigrated fromBelgium, where her father had been a diamond merchant inAntwerp. They had two children, Paul and Adele, in 1924 and 1927.
In 1914, Brodetsky was appointed alecturer inapplied mathematics at theUniversity of Bristol.[3][4][5] During the First World War he was employed as an advisor to the British company developingperiscopes for submarines.
In 1919, Brodetsky became alecturer at theUniversity of Leeds. Five years later he was appointedprofessor ofapplied mathematics at Leeds where he remained until 1948. Much of his work concerned aeronautics and mechanics of aeroplanes. He was the head of the mathematics department of the University of Leeds from 1946 to 1948. He was active in theAssociation of University Teachers, serving as president in 1935–1936.
Brodetsky became the second president of theHebrew University of Jerusalem in 1949, preceded by SirLeon Simon, serving until 1952, and followed byBenjamin Mazar (1953 to 1961), at a time when the university was going through a rocky period, eventually having to abandon its campus onMount Scopus.[6] He attempted to overhaul the structure of the university but he soon became embroiled in bitter struggles with the University Senate, which interfered in his academic and bureaucratic work. Apparently, Brodetsky thought that he was going to take up a position similar to that ofVice-Chancellor of an English university but many in Jerusalem saw the position as essentially an honorary one, like the Chancellor of an English university. This struggle affected his health and in 1952 he decided to resign his post and return to England.
He was a Fellow of theRoyal Astronomical Society,Royal Aeronautical Society andInstitute of Physics.
His sister Rachel married RabbiSolomon Mestel; their son is astronomer and astrophysicistLeon Mestel.
