Allyssa Hutchings

ENG 2010 Sp15

Profile

When one hears the name Albert Einstein, they immediately think genius. Amongst
being a genius Albert Einstein was many other things. He was a writer, a Jew, a father, a
husband, a German, a Swiss, and very importantly a refugee.
According to the United States law, a refugee is someone who is of special humanitarian
concern to the United States, is admissible to the United States, or demonstrates that they
were persecuted or fear persecution due to race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or
membership in a particular social group "Refugees". By being born into a Jewish family, Einstein
fell into this definition of a refugee.
Albert Einstein was born in Wurttenburg, Germany on March 14, 1879. A few weeks
later, he and his family moved to Munich where he later began his schooling. As a child, he was
slow to learn how to speak. So much so that his parents began consulting doctors. He also
frequently acted out against authority, which even resulted in being expelled by one of his
headmasters. All of these traits contributed to his identity as a genius. Because of his poor
attitude towards authority, he questioned conventional wisdom which is what enabled him to
open his mind to many different theories and possibilities. Einstein attended many different
schools throughout his life and lived many places, including Italy and Switzerland. In 1905 he
obtained his doctors degree ("Albert Einstein Biography").
Albert Einstein became famous for his scientific theories around the world in the 1900s,
around the same time that Nazi Germany came to power. Einsteins theory of relativity became
an easy target for Nazi propaganda. In 1931, the Nazis enlisted other physicists to denounce his
theories as Jewish Physics. This new German government also passed a law stating that Jews
couldnt hold any official position, including teaching at Universities. Shortly after, Einstein was
blacklisted by the German government for being anti-Nazi and his books were burned along
with many others whose readings didnt agree with Nazi beliefs (Golden, Frederic).

In September of 1933, a letter was written by Einstein to the Turkish Prime Minister in
which he pleads to allow forty professors and doctors from Germany to continue their
scientific work and medical work in Turkey (Reisman, Arnold). In the letter, he insisted that the
men had been carefully selected and were willing to work for a year without salary. Although
Einstein didnt mention that any of the men were Jewish, he did state that the above
mentioned cannot practice further in Germany on account of the laws governing there now
(Reisman, Arnold). This letter is physical evidence of the fear and anxiety that Jews felt in
Germany, and although he was declined by the prime minister it was in that same year that
Albert decided to renounce his German citizenship and immigrated to New Jersey as a refugee
in the United States of America.
After moving to the United States, Albert Einstein became a strong advocate for other
refugees. He gained his U.S. citizenship in 1940, and then created a U.S. visa application format
for Jewish refugees in Germany. He was actively involved in vouching for the identity of
applicants, and helped saved many from persecution (Jerome, Fred, and Taylor). Even though
World War two is over, there are still thousands of people each year that wish to seek refuge in
the United States due to issues within his/her home country.
Every year the President of the United States, in consultation with congress, determines
the numerical ceiling for refugee admissions. In 2014, the ceiling was 70,000 and 70,000
refugees were allowed into the country. Almost half of all the 2014 refugee arrivals came from
a region that includes Iraq, Iran, Bhutan, and Afghanistan ("Refugees: A Fact Sheet"). Presently,
there are a few steps to become a legal United States refugee. First, one must receive a referral
to the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) for consideration. Then, the refugee must
undergo an extensive interviewing, screening, and security process by regional refugee
coordinators. Family members such as a spouse and children (unmarried and under the age of
21) may be included in the application. Same sex spouses may also be included as long as the
marriage is legal. In special cases, other family members may be considered. There is no fee for
the application process and information is not shared with the applicants home country
(Refugees).

After being approved as a refugee, the Refugee Processing Center works with private
voluntary agencies to determine where the refugee will live in the U.S. If the person does
happen to have a relative already living in the States, every effort will be made to place them
near his/her relative. Next the person must receive a medical exam, a cultural orientation, help
with travel plans, and a loan for travel expenses to the United States which is expected to be
paid back 6 months after their arrival. After arrival to the U.S., they become eligible for medical
and cash assistance. Refugees are able to obtain work immediately upon arrival to the United
States due to an I-94, Arrival-Departure Record, containing a refugee admission stamp
(Refugees). After a year, they may apply for a green card and become a permanent resident,
as Einstein did.
Thousands of people apply for refugee status each year, and thousands of people are
denied. The process is long and difficult, and sometimes by the time it is achieved it is too late.
Other times, it leads to illegal immigration if the person has no other choice. The question is,
are we doing enough as a society to help people escape the horrors of their own home? It is
lucky that Albert Einstein was able to escape Nazi Germany when he did, or we may not have
his lifes work and achievements to study and live by today.

Works Cited
"Albert Einstein Biography." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 13 Feb. 2015.
"Albert Einstein." Nobelprize.org. The Official Website of the Nobel Prize, n.d. Web. 11 Feb.
2015.
Golden, Frederic. "Albert Einstein." Time. Time Inc., 31 Dec. 1999. Web. 15 Feb. 2015.
Jerome, Fred, and Rodger Taylor. Einstein on Race and Racism. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers UP,
2005. Print.
Refugees: A Fact Sheet." Immigration Policy Center. American Immigration Council, 01 Oct.
2014. Web. 15 Feb. 2015.
Refugees." Refugees. U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services, 11 Apr. 2013. Web. 15 Feb. 2015.
Reisman, Arnold. "Jewish Refugees from Nazism, Albert Einstein, and the Modernization of
Higher Education in Turkey (19331945)." Aleph: Historical Studies in Science and
Judaism 9.1 (2008): 253-81. Web. 15 Feb. 2015.