Albert Einstein (1879-1955), Jewish-German physicist, one of the most prominent physicists in the 20th century, developer of the Theory of Relativity and one of the founders of the Quantum Theory. Nobel Prize laureate for Physics.

 This letter was written by Einstein after he was obliged to leave Berlin, following the assassination of the Jewish-German Foreign Minister Walter Rathenau (at that time Einstein was warned by the police that his life is in danger). Einstein tells in this letter about an isolated life outside of Berlin (about the location of residence he writes: "Nobody knows where I am, and I'm believed to be missing"), and refers to anti-Semitism in Germany, to its political and economic future, and to his planned trip to Asia.

 Although Einstein expresses in this letter a gloomy forecast about the future of Germany (this is one year prior to the coup attempt by the Nazi Party, in 1923), his writing still reflects his typical sense of humor and even some optimism.

 Einstein writes: "I am doing quite well, in spite of all the anti-Semites among my German colleagues. I'm very reclusive here, without noise and without unpleasant feelings, and am earning my money mainly independent of the state, so that I'm really a free man. A university tenure abroad I won't accept any more. However, I had to join a League of Nations commission, which naturally upsets the people here. There was nothing I could do about it if I didn't want to be unfaithful to my ideals. Here are brewing economically and politically dark times, so I'm happy to be able to get away from everything for half a year. […] You see, I am about to become some kind of itinerant preacher. That is, firstly, pleasant and secondly - necessary. […] Don't worry about me, I myself don't worry either, even if it's not quite kosher; people are very upset. In Italy, it seems to be at least as bad, by the way...".

 In 1922 three young Germans from the extreme right circles assassinated the German Foreign Minister Walter Rathenau. This political assassination, executed, among others, for anti-Semitic reasons shocked Germany. After the assassination, the police warned Einstein that his life is in danger and suggested to him not to attend lectures and even to leave Berlin. Following this, Einstein moved to Kiel (where, presumably, he wrote this letter) and cancelled a number of his lectures. Later on, in the same year, Einstein was invited to deliver a series of lectures in Japan, and went on a long journey to Asia (during this trip he was notified that he won the Nobel Prize for physics). When the Nazis rose to power in Germany, in 1933, laws against Jews were legislated according to which they were removed from public posts (including university positions). The Nazis persecuted the Jewish physicist as well; they disregarded Einstein's Theory of Relativity claiming that it is "Jewish physics". When Hitler rose to power Einstein was on a lecture tour out of Germany. In view of the situation in his country, he decided to renounce his German citizenship, and after a short period of wandering, he settled in the United States, where he was offered a position in the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New-Jersey. Einstein stayed in Princeton until his death on April 18,1955.

 [1] leaf (two written pages), 27 cm. Good condition. Folding marks and some creases. Stains. Some tears to margins.