Einstein and Zionism

Abstract

In 1911, at the age of thirty-four, Einstein faced a dilemma. Having been offered a professorship at the German University in Prague, he was required to fill out an official form. One of the questions asked about his religious affiliation. It seemed, at the time, a simple question to answer. Coming from Jewish parents, even though they were not observant of the strict rituals of Judaism, Einstein well knew that he was a Jew. But since he resolutely did not belong to any official Jewish or other religious group, he answered the question on the form with the word “unaffiliated.”