A clandestine undertaking on behalf of Israel, the Jets and the Jews.

 
Robert Aumann and RJJ

Following the award of the Nobel Prize in Economics (together with Thomas Schelling) to Robert Aumann, Haaretz reported that "at the yeshiva high school where he studied, he was told he was not very good in mathematics, and they advised him to choose something simpler, like auto mechanics."

Worse, Haaretz headlined its report, "School told Nobel Prize winner in economics, `You're no good at math, try auto mechanics'"

In a recent interview, Aumann said the exact opposite: "My interest in mathematics actually started in high school - the Rabbi Jacob Joseph Yeshiva on the lower east side of New York City. There was a marvelous teacher of mathematics, by the name of Joseph Gansler. The classes were very small; the high school had just started operating. He used to gather the students around his desk. What really turned me on was geometry, theorems and proofs. So all the credit belongs to Joey Gansler."

Obviously, either the Haaretz statement is completely false, or it took seriously a self-deprecating statement made by Aumann. I could not find any other report that Aumann was told at RJJ that he was not very good in math and should become an auto mechanic.

(Full disclosure, for those who are not aware: My father has been president of RJJ for the last 33 years. He may choose to say something about this matter.)
posted on 12/14/2005