Alef: The NEXT Conversation
Model Genius
by Rafi Samuels-Schwartz
My great-uncle Sammy was, by all accounts, an actual, honest-to-god, genius. Â
Born to Russian immigrant parents (my great-grandparents) in Minneapolis, Uncle Sammy was the only person I’ve ever known who wrote letters to Albert Einstein, and actually got one back. After earning his MD at the University of Minnesota, he quickly established himself as a world expert in blood disorders. By the mid-1940s, Uncle Sammy was tapped by the federal government to lead a 25 person team at the University of Chicago, secretly investigating the effects of radiation on blood. Project codename: Manhattan. Â
I told you he was a genius. Â
Still, it doesn’t mean he was all that smart.
When I was about 7, I noticed that Uncle Sammy was missing the top half of his right-hand ring finger. It turns out that just because someone helps design an atomic bomb doesn’t mean they understand that, when trying to clear a twig out of a lawnmower, the engine should be turned off first. Â
He used to like to tell a story about how he and his research partner once had to collect blood samples from a bull for some research he was conducting. I don’t know what the blood samples were for, or why he couldn’t wait until the bull was sedated by a professional, but I know the punchline of this adventure by heart: “I quickly learned how to calculate the velocity of my ass over a fence.” That’s my uncle Sammy, the world-class doctor, hauling his tush over a barnyard fence to avoid being gored by an angry bull. Â
Like I said, a genius, but sometimes not all that smart.
And yet…
He raised a huge family: 9 kids, dozens of grandkids, even a few great-grandkids. As THE patriarch for an extended network of nieces, nephews, cousins, foster kids, and other hangers-on, he raised Rabbis, doctors, professors, and dancers. Even more, as an ardent labor-Zionist, dedicated to the state of Israel and the rights of her workers and kibbutzniks, Uncle Sammy may have even helped Israel hone the atomic capabilities the country emphatically denies having. At least, that’s the family legend. Not sure if it’s true, and to be honest, I kind of like it better not knowing.
Frankly, I’m not sure if the bull story actually happened, either. And, that letter back from Einstein? Well, we can’t actually find it. So, while I really hope the lawnmower story is true, that isn’t really the point. See, that’s the thing I’ve learned about geniuses like my Uncle Sammy–they’re larger than life. Everything they do, whether it’s escaping a marauding bull, or smuggling nuclear secrets, is either because they’re brilliant, or in spite of it. Sam Schwartz was the kind of person who, either by virtue of being there, or telling you about it afterwards, gave every moment something special, something more-than-normal. And sure, working on the Manhattan project is nice. And, having a medical test named after him is great, too. But making people feel special just for knowing him? Â
That’s genius.
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Read more posts from Issue #10: “Geniushood.”
10: "Geniushood"
This week we introduce issue #10: “Geniushood”
…
“Geniushood” is not actually a word. Seriously. Go ahead, look it up. We’ll wait.
Told you.
So what is it? And what, you might wonder, does it have to do with being Jewish?
Glad you asked.
Winston Churchill, who many people consider to be a genius in his own right, once said:
“Some people like the Jews, and some do not. But no thoughtful man can deny the fact that they are, beyond any question, the most formidable and the most remarkable race which has appeared in the world.”
Many people think of Albert Einstein first when they think of Jewish genius. And, sure, maybe Churchill had a penchant for the German-Jewish physicist, but we like to think that he had something more than just “E=MC*2″ in mind when he uttered the words above. That’s why, when titling this issue, we needed a word that wasn’t just limited to a high I.Q.; we needed a word that suggested the hard work, the study, and yes, maybe even the natural talent, that Churchill found so impressive in the Jewish people.
So, in the fashion of many literary greats who have come before us, we made one up – not simply genius, but “Geniushood.”
Of course, the suggestion of an inherent Jewish “Geniushood” is a bit of a double-edged sword. On the one hand, the term Ashkenazi Intelligence has its own entry in Wikipedia and the ratio of Jewish Nobel Laureates to Jewish people is eyebrow-crinklingly high. On the other hand, calling Jews inherently smart plays into stereotypes that have gotten us into trouble in the past.
The question of how we found ourselves walking this line between truth and stereotype has many answers. Beyond genealogy, the Jewish people have a long and rich history of appreciating education. At the same time, in the battle of nature versus nurture, the role of the classic, finger-waving Jewish parent cannot be ignored either. A few years ago, New York Magazine took a stab at explaining the prevalence of Jewish intelligence and published an article about why the Jewish community excels. Their professional opinion, citing a lifetime of social segmentation, and in some cases discrimination, is fascinating, but it tells us very little about what we as Jews think of all this fanfare over the alleged size of our brains.
For the next two weeks, Alef will be featuring stories that explore the idea of “Jewish Geniushood.” Is it good? Is it bad? Is it even real? You’ll read stories about certifiable “geniuses” and see what happens when we disappoint our families, who, of course, expect each of us to be “Little Einsteins.” Maybe we’ll confirm Churchill’s theory, and maybe not. But, whatever the outcome, we hope you”ll take the time to strap on your thinking caps and enjoy Issue 10: “Geniushood.”
-Alef
Photo by Foxtongue, licensed under Creative Commons.
“Geniushood” Posts
An Issue of Pride
Not Special
What is a Jewish Intellectual?
The Career Choice
Under Pressure?
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