Oded Goldreich - Old Photos (1900 - 1990)

My mother: Klara

My mother was born in 1912 in Hannover, Germany. Soon after the NAZIs seized power in 1933, she immigrated with her parents and (older) sister to Palestine. She worked as a secretary in the main office of a big agricultural firm, and starting early 1940 as a secretary of a prominent lawyer (Szczupak). In 1950, encouraged by Szczupak, she enrolled to Law Studies and graduated in 1956 (while holding to her full-time job as a secretary). She met my father (Isidor) in 1956 and I was born in 1957. In 1957 she joined Szczupak's law office as a lawyer, later became a partner, and after he died in 1966 - the head of the office. She continued practicing law almost till her very death in 2004.

My mother was first of all a rationalist and a liberal. Her attitudes were based on a realistic view of the situation and on attempts to find pragmatic solutions to problems. These attitudes governed both her personal and professional activities. As a lawyer, she excelled in negotiating agreements, trying to identify the main concerns of all parties, and finding a compromise that addresses these concerns.

The first two photos are of Meir (1882-1963), the father of of my mother Klara (1912-2004). The third picture shows Klara and her older sister Karla (1907-1956). The last two pictures are of Klara (probably in 1930 and in 1950).

Klara (with and without Isidor) in the 1980's.

My father: Isidor

My father was born in 1906 in Vienna, then the capital of the Austrian-Hungarian Monarchy. He got an Engineering degree in the mid 1930's at the Technological Institute of Vienna. Soon after the NAZIs entered Austria in 1938, he immigrated with his two silblings (older brother Arthur and younger sister Gerty) to Palestine. Their father, Otto, was supposed to follow after they get settled but this became impossible and he died in Auschwitz. In Palsetine (and later Israel), my father worked as a construction engineer for the governmental Railroad company.

My father was very emotional and quite conservative. He typically held pessimistic views and considered religion the only barrier against total chaos. His beloved brother Arthur held opposite views: he was an optimist and a Humanist. Arthur lost a fortune when fleeing Austria in 1938, worked as a waiter during the rest of his life, and died saying ``I had a great life, and now I'm following Napoleon on his last journey''.

The first two photos are of my father, Isidor (1906-1995). The third picture is of my parents during their honeymoon (January 1956), and the last one with me (in the early 1960s).

The first picture is of myself with Arthur (1904-1990), the brother of Isidor. Next is a picture of the two brothers, and last a picture of Isidor.

Myself (1960 - 1980 - 1990)

I was born in 1957 in Israel.

These pictures are from the early 1980s

These pictures are from the mid 1980s

Goodbye Party at Silvio's place, 1986

After post-docing at MIT for three years (1983-86), it "was time" to say Goodbye. But actually, this was but another excuse for Silvio to host yet another party. These parties seem to capture the spirit of those days, when research and fun were so intensively mixed.

Featuring: myself, Benny Chor, Silvio Micali, Shafi Goldwasser, Leonid Levin, and others.
Correction: The photos are from a 1984 party, one held before I left after a year. But, then, after a few months, I came back for another 20 months or so.

Shimon

Shimon Even (1935-2004) was my graduate studies adviser (1980-1983). He had a tremendous influence on my professional development: introducing me to theoretical computer science and closely guiding my first steps.

This picture (taken in 1987) is the only one I have of us together.

Technion, 1990

I never really liked that place, but there were times I was happy in it.

In my office, Technion 1990

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