Metadata: Isaak Rabinovich. Personal fonds
Collection
- Country:
- Latvia
- Holding institution:
- National Library of Latvia
- Holding institution (official language):
- Latvijas Nacionālā Bibliotēka
- Postal address:
- Mūkusalas iela 3, Rīga, LV-1423
- Phone number:
- +371 6780 6100
- Web address:
- www.lnb.lv
- Email:
- lnb@lnb.lv
- Reference number:
- RXA92
- Title:
- Isaak Rabinovich. Personal fonds
- Title (official language):
- Izaks Rabinovičs. Personīgais fonds
- Creator/accumulator:
- Rabinovich, Isaak
- Date(s):
- 1880/1983
- Date note:
- Predominantly 1944/1977
- Language:
- Latvian
- Russian
- Ukrainian
- Estonian
- Yiddish
- Hebrew
- German
- English
- Arabic
- Greek, Modern (1453-)
- Extent:
- 225 files
- Type of material:
- Textual material
- Photographic images
- Graphic material
- Physical condition:
- good
- Scope and content:
- The personal fonds of Isaak Rabinovich, a historian of mathematics and astronomy, contains documents, books, reprints, programs, clippings, albums, essays, speeches, reviews, periodical articles, essay materials, extracts, notes, bibliographies, indexes, author's manuscripts, abstracts, drafts, lecture notes, study materials, curricula, biographical materials, letters, photographs, illustrations, images, drawings, tables, maps, plans, catalogues of the personal library of Isaak and his son Vladimir, and letters to Vladimir in connection with the death of his father. Isaac Rabinovich was an intellectual who had the talent to express the most difficult concepts in simple words and popularised science. In 1970 he was invited to a radio program where a listener asked a question about astrology. Rabinovich replied that he considered astrology a superstition, but spoke about the historical significance of astrology for mathematics, astronomy, medicine and linguistics, giving examples from different fields and doing so in such a way that it was understood by a wide audience. There were 4,672 books in his home library, which he catalogued. The collection includes records of about 300 Jewish and Arab astronomers for example Rabbi Samuel, who was an astronomer in Babylon in the middle of the 3rd century and calculated the equation between the solar cycle and the lunar cycle to establish the Jewish calendar. The documents of this fonds will be of interest to historians of mathematics, astronomy and chess, as well as researchers who study the social and scientific life of the Jewish community in Soviet Latvia from the post-war period until the end of 1970s.
- Archival history:
- The personal fund of Isaak Rabinovich was transferred to the Latvian National Library by his son Vladimir.
- Administrative/biographical history:
- Isaak Rabinovich (1911-1977), historian of mathematics and astronomy, was born in the Latvian city of Kraslava. He was the cousin of world chess champion Mikhail Botvinnik. Rabinovich's studies at the Latvian State University were interrupted in June 1941 and he did not pass his graduation exams until after he was demobilised in August 1945. When the war began, Isaak Rabinovich with his pregnant wife Dora were lucky to be able to evacuate to Kirov, Russia on 27 June 1941. According to his son Vladimir's memoirs,“father was taught mathematics in the local school. In August, Latvian military regiments were being formed. Father was in artillery. On one mission, father was wounded and sent to hospital. While he was recovering, a doctor saw him reading a book on physics. The doctor asked father if he could maintain X-ray and other equipment. There were very few experts capable of maintaining this equipment at that time. Father immediately agreed, and he was transferred to a military-medical unit, where he quickly became an expert technician. His further service was connected with military-medical units. He was discharged from service with the rank of senior lieutenant. Father studied mathematics and became a scientific researcher at the astrophysics laboratory of the Academy of Sciences. Father was an outstanding populariser of mathematical and astronomical knowledge. He is the author of 186 written works”. As one of his colleagues writes, Isaak Rabinovich ruined his relations with a very influential Latvian official, therefore he could not get a job, "although in terms of erudition, breadth of thinking and ability to express his thoughts, I. M. Rabinovich, of course, was superior to many Latvian academicians".
- Access points: locations:
- Riga
- Access points: persons/families:
- Rabinovich, Isaak
- Yerusha Network member:
- Central Archives for the History of the Jewish People
- Author of the description:
- Jana Makarova