Alexander Lerner
Encyclopedia
Alexander Yakovlevich Lerner (7 September 1913, Vinnytsia
– 6 April 2004, Rehovot
) ({lang-ru|Александр Яковлевич Лернер}}), scientist and Soviet refusenik
.
, Russian Empire
(now Ukraine
). Lerner graduated with a degree in electrical engineering from the Moscow Power Engineering Institute
in 1938, and received a Ph.D. from the same institution in 1940. During the World War II
, Lerner served as the chief engineer of the Central Autonomous Laboratory at the Soviet Ministry of Ferrous Metallurgy in Moscow
.
Lerner became a member of the Soviet scientific and technological elite. He was a leading practitioner of cybernetics
. It is a branch of science that deals with human control systems like the brain and nervous systems where they interconnect with complex electronic systems. Also, his mathematical equations were used in forecasting supply and demand for vital materials like steel, or allocating scarce resources.
Lerner was the first prominent Soviet scientist to seek to emigrate to Israel. His request was denied, and resulted in the sudden loss of his positions and privileges. In 1977, a letter was published in the Soviet newspaper Izvestiya calling Lerner "the leader of an espionage nest." His closest associates in the refusenik movement — Natan Sharansky
, Vladimir Slepak and Ida Nudel
— were arrested.
He was finally granted an exit permit and emigrated to Israel on Jan. 27, 1988, together with his son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter.
Lerner accepted an appointment in the mathematics department at the Weizmann Institute of Science
where he pursued a number of projects, including the development of an artificial heart
and the construction of a mathematical model to predict the behavior of developed societies.
Lerner died in 2004 in Rehovot
at the age of 90.
Vinnytsia
Vinnytsia is a city located on the banks of the Southern Bug, in central Ukraine. It is the administrative center of Vinnytsia Oblast.-Names:...
– 6 April 2004, Rehovot
Rehovot
Rehovot is a city in the Center District of Israel, about south of Tel Aviv. According to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics , at the end of 2009 the city had a total population of 112,700. Rehovot's official website estimates the population at 114,000.Rehovot was built on the site of Doron,...
) ({lang-ru|Александр Яковлевич Лернер}}), scientist and Soviet refusenik
Refusenik
Refusenik originally referred to citizens of the former Soviet Union who were refused permission to emigrate.Refusenik or refusnik may also refer to:*An Israeli conscientious objector, see Refusal to serve in the Israeli military...
.
Biography
Alexander Lerner was born to a Jewish family in VinnytsiaVinnytsia
Vinnytsia is a city located on the banks of the Southern Bug, in central Ukraine. It is the administrative center of Vinnytsia Oblast.-Names:...
, Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
(now Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
). Lerner graduated with a degree in electrical engineering from the Moscow Power Engineering Institute
Moscow Power Engineering Institute
Moscow Power Engineering Institute is one of the largest and leading technical universities in the world in the area of power engineering, electronics and IT...
in 1938, and received a Ph.D. from the same institution in 1940. During the World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Lerner served as the chief engineer of the Central Autonomous Laboratory at the Soviet Ministry of Ferrous Metallurgy in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
.
Lerner became a member of the Soviet scientific and technological elite. He was a leading practitioner of cybernetics
Cybernetics
Cybernetics is the interdisciplinary study of the structure of regulatory systems. Cybernetics is closely related to information theory, control theory and systems theory, at least in its first-order form...
. It is a branch of science that deals with human control systems like the brain and nervous systems where they interconnect with complex electronic systems. Also, his mathematical equations were used in forecasting supply and demand for vital materials like steel, or allocating scarce resources.
Lerner was the first prominent Soviet scientist to seek to emigrate to Israel. His request was denied, and resulted in the sudden loss of his positions and privileges. In 1977, a letter was published in the Soviet newspaper Izvestiya calling Lerner "the leader of an espionage nest." His closest associates in the refusenik movement — Natan Sharansky
Natan Sharansky
Natan Sharansky was born in Stalino, Soviet Union on 20 January 1948 to a Jewish family. He graduated with a degree in applied mathematics from Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology. As a child, he was a chess prodigy. He performed in simultaneous and blindfold displays, usually against...
, Vladimir Slepak and Ida Nudel
Ida Nudel
Ida Nudel is a former refusenik and an Israeli activist. She was known as the "Guardian Angel" for her efforts to help the "Prisoners of Zion" in the Soviet Union.-Biography:...
— were arrested.
He was finally granted an exit permit and emigrated to Israel on Jan. 27, 1988, together with his son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter.
Lerner accepted an appointment in the mathematics department at the Weizmann Institute of Science
Weizmann Institute of Science
The Weizmann Institute of Science , known as Machon Weizmann, is a university and research institute in Rehovot, Israel. It differs from other Israeli universities in that it offers only graduate and post-graduate studies in the sciences....
where he pursued a number of projects, including the development of an artificial heart
Artificial heart
An artificial heart is a mechanical device that replaces the heart. Artificial hearts are typically used in order to bridge the time to heart transplantation, or to permanently replace the heart in case transplantation is impossible...
and the construction of a mathematical model to predict the behavior of developed societies.
Lerner died in 2004 in Rehovot
Rehovot
Rehovot is a city in the Center District of Israel, about south of Tel Aviv. According to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics , at the end of 2009 the city had a total population of 112,700. Rehovot's official website estimates the population at 114,000.Rehovot was built on the site of Doron,...
at the age of 90.