Boris Weisfeiler
Encyclopedia
Boris Weisfeiler is a Russia
n-born mathematician who lived in the United States
before going missing in Chile in 1985, aged 43. The Chilean government claimed that he drowned, but his family believes he was forced to disappear
near Colonia Dignidad
, an enclave led by ex-Nazi Paul Schäfer
.
. He obtained his Ph.D.
in 1970 from the Steklov Institute of Mathematics
Leningrad
Department, as a student of E. B. Vinberg. In the early 1970s Weisfeiler was asked to sign a letter against a colleague, and for his refusal was branded "anti-Soviet". Like other Russian Jews
he also experienced discrimination. In 1975, Weisfeiler left the USSR in order to freely practice his career and religion. After a short time under Armand Borel
at the Institute for Advanced Study
near Princeton University
, Weisfeiler settled in as a professor at Penn State University. In 1981, he became a naturalized citizen
of the United States.
Weisfeiler's research spanned twenty years, and he published three dozen research papers. According to his colleague Alexander Lubotzky
, Weisfeiler was studying "the more difficult questions" of algebraic group
s in "the case when the field is not algebraically closed
and the groups do not split or — even worse — are nonisotropic". He is known for the Weisfeiler-Leman Algorithm, the Kac-Weisfeiler conjectures, the Weisfeiler filtration, and work on strong approximation and on finite linear groups.
Weisfeiler, an experienced outdoorsman, went on a solo hiking
trip over Christmas of 1984 to the Chilean Andes
.
was under U.S. sanctions for most of the 1970s and 1980s as a result of its non-cooperation in the Orlando Letelier murder in Washington, and was then controlled by staunch anti-communist dictator General Augusto Pinochet
. Under Pinochet, Chile is alleged to have committed widespread human rights abuses. Before his death in 2006, Pinochet, by then the former head of the military government had been prosecuted for his role in Operation Colombo
and indicted in absentia in other countries. As well, the democratic government of Chile took steps to investigate other activities under Pinochet's regime.
According to Chilean government reports, Weisfeiler was hiking near the border of the Colonia at the time of his disappearance. Conflicting stories of various eyewitnesses make it impossible to conclude what really happened. Officially, the Chilean government ruled that Weisfeiler had entered the confluence of two swift-moving rivers and drowned, his body never to be recovered. Local fishermen say they camped with Boris, and gave him directions north toward a bridge that happened to be in proximity of the Colonia. Some claim to have seen his footprints near the river, finding his backpack and other items. These items appear to have been sold or destroyed by the Chilean government in the late 1990s, as documented by Chilean government documents and published news articles.
Although no conclusive proof connects the disappearance of Weisfeiler to any entity, there is one group under suspicion by both U.S. and Chilean officials. Unbeknownst to most of the outside world, a place called Colonia Dignidad
sat on a large land tract close to the Argentinian border. Appearing idyllic, the enclave was run by German expatriates, some of whom were alleged to be Nazi
war criminals, others believed to be Nazi sympathizers. The leader of the Colonia for most of its existence was Nazi Paul Schäfer
. The Colonia had a cult
-like atmosphere, in which many children were molested, a crime for which its leaders have faced prosecution. Schafer was convicted in May 2006 in connection with the allegations of child abuse at the Colonia. It was reported by the BBC (as well as suggested in Chilean government documents ) that Chilean DINA secret police (disbanded in 1977) brought suspected anti-government prisoners there for interrogation.
According to U.S. State Department reports, other witnesses claim they saw Boris Weisfeiler in the Colonia, several years after his disappearance. At least one claims he was alive some three years later; another claims he was assassinated as a Soviet or Jewish spy. Weisfeiler's whereabouts remain unknown, and his sister Olga has immigrated to the United States and continues to petition numerous authorities to determine his fate. In early 2006 a Joint bipartisan Congressional letter signed by 27 Senators and Congressmen was delivered to Chilean President Michele Bachelet in the hopes of speeding up the investigation into his fate.
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n-born mathematician who lived in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
before going missing in Chile in 1985, aged 43. The Chilean government claimed that he drowned, but his family believes he was forced to disappear
Forced disappearance
In international human rights law, a forced disappearance occurs when a person is secretly abducted or imprisoned by a state or political organization or by a third party with the authorization, support, or acquiescence of a state or political organization, followed by a refusal to acknowledge the...
near Colonia Dignidad
Colonia Dignidad
Villa Baviera , formerly known as Colonia Dignidad is a hamlet in Parral Commune, Linares Province, Maule Region, Chile. Located in an isolated area of central Chile, it lies 35 km southeast of the city of Parral, on the north bank of the Perquilauquén River. It was founded by a group of German...
, an enclave led by ex-Nazi Paul Schäfer
Paul Schäfer
Paul Schäfer Schneider was the founder and former leader of a sect and agricultural commune of German immigrants called Colonia Dignidad —later renamed Villa Baviera—located in the south of Chile, about 340 km south of Santiago...
.
Biography
Weisfeiler was born in the Soviet UnionSoviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. He obtained his Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in 1970 from the Steklov Institute of Mathematics
Steklov Institute of Mathematics
Steklov Institute of Mathematics or Steklov Mathematical Institute is a research institute based in Moscow, specialized in mathematics, and a part of the Russian Academy of Sciences. It was established April 24, 1934 by the decision of the General Assembly of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR in...
Leningrad
Leningrad
Leningrad is the former name of Saint Petersburg, Russia.Leningrad may also refer to:- Places :* Leningrad Oblast, a federal subject of Russia, around Saint Petersburg* Leningrad, Tajikistan, capital of Muminobod district in Khatlon Province...
Department, as a student of E. B. Vinberg. In the early 1970s Weisfeiler was asked to sign a letter against a colleague, and for his refusal was branded "anti-Soviet". Like other Russian Jews
History of the Jews in Russia and the Soviet Union
The vast territories of the Russian Empire at one time hosted the largest populations of Jews in the diaspora. Within these territories the Jewish community flourished and developed many of modern Judaism's most distinctive theological and cultural traditions, while also facing periods of...
he also experienced discrimination. In 1975, Weisfeiler left the USSR in order to freely practice his career and religion. After a short time under Armand Borel
Armand Borel
Armand Borel was a Swiss mathematician, born in La Chaux-de-Fonds, and was a permanent professor at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey, United States from 1957 to 1993...
at the Institute for Advanced Study
Institute for Advanced Study
The Institute for Advanced Study, located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States, is an independent postgraduate center for theoretical research and intellectual inquiry. It was founded in 1930 by Abraham Flexner...
near Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
, Weisfeiler settled in as a professor at Penn State University. In 1981, he became a naturalized citizen
Naturalization
Naturalization is the acquisition of citizenship and nationality by somebody who was not a citizen of that country at the time of birth....
of the United States.
Weisfeiler's research spanned twenty years, and he published three dozen research papers. According to his colleague Alexander Lubotzky
Alexander Lubotzky
Professor Alexander Lubotzky is an Israeli academic and former politician. A former head of the Mathematics Institute at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, he served as a member of the Knesset for The Third Way party between 1996 and 1999.-Education:...
, Weisfeiler was studying "the more difficult questions" of algebraic group
Algebraic group
In algebraic geometry, an algebraic group is a group that is an algebraic variety, such that the multiplication and inverse are given by regular functions on the variety...
s in "the case when the field is not algebraically closed
Algebraic closure
In mathematics, particularly abstract algebra, an algebraic closure of a field K is an algebraic extension of K that is algebraically closed. It is one of many closures in mathematics....
and the groups do not split or — even worse — are nonisotropic". He is known for the Weisfeiler-Leman Algorithm, the Kac-Weisfeiler conjectures, the Weisfeiler filtration, and work on strong approximation and on finite linear groups.
Weisfeiler, an experienced outdoorsman, went on a solo hiking
Hiking
Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...
trip over Christmas of 1984 to the Chilean Andes
Andes
The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...
.
Disappearance
ChileChile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
was under U.S. sanctions for most of the 1970s and 1980s as a result of its non-cooperation in the Orlando Letelier murder in Washington, and was then controlled by staunch anti-communist dictator General Augusto Pinochet
Augusto Pinochet
Augusto José Ramón Pinochet Ugarte, more commonly known as Augusto Pinochet , was a Chilean army general and dictator who assumed power in a coup d'état on 11 September 1973...
. Under Pinochet, Chile is alleged to have committed widespread human rights abuses. Before his death in 2006, Pinochet, by then the former head of the military government had been prosecuted for his role in Operation Colombo
Operation Colombo
Operation Colombo was an operation undertaken by the DINA in 1975. The operation involved the disappearance of political dissidents. At least 119 people are alleged to have been abducted and later killed by state forces in the secret operation...
and indicted in absentia in other countries. As well, the democratic government of Chile took steps to investigate other activities under Pinochet's regime.
According to Chilean government reports, Weisfeiler was hiking near the border of the Colonia at the time of his disappearance. Conflicting stories of various eyewitnesses make it impossible to conclude what really happened. Officially, the Chilean government ruled that Weisfeiler had entered the confluence of two swift-moving rivers and drowned, his body never to be recovered. Local fishermen say they camped with Boris, and gave him directions north toward a bridge that happened to be in proximity of the Colonia. Some claim to have seen his footprints near the river, finding his backpack and other items. These items appear to have been sold or destroyed by the Chilean government in the late 1990s, as documented by Chilean government documents and published news articles.
Although no conclusive proof connects the disappearance of Weisfeiler to any entity, there is one group under suspicion by both U.S. and Chilean officials. Unbeknownst to most of the outside world, a place called Colonia Dignidad
Colonia Dignidad
Villa Baviera , formerly known as Colonia Dignidad is a hamlet in Parral Commune, Linares Province, Maule Region, Chile. Located in an isolated area of central Chile, it lies 35 km southeast of the city of Parral, on the north bank of the Perquilauquén River. It was founded by a group of German...
sat on a large land tract close to the Argentinian border. Appearing idyllic, the enclave was run by German expatriates, some of whom were alleged to be Nazi
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
war criminals, others believed to be Nazi sympathizers. The leader of the Colonia for most of its existence was Nazi Paul Schäfer
Paul Schäfer
Paul Schäfer Schneider was the founder and former leader of a sect and agricultural commune of German immigrants called Colonia Dignidad —later renamed Villa Baviera—located in the south of Chile, about 340 km south of Santiago...
. The Colonia had a cult
Cult
The word cult in current popular usage usually refers to a group whose beliefs or practices are considered abnormal or bizarre. The word originally denoted a system of ritual practices...
-like atmosphere, in which many children were molested, a crime for which its leaders have faced prosecution. Schafer was convicted in May 2006 in connection with the allegations of child abuse at the Colonia. It was reported by the BBC (as well as suggested in Chilean government documents ) that Chilean DINA secret police (disbanded in 1977) brought suspected anti-government prisoners there for interrogation.
According to U.S. State Department reports, other witnesses claim they saw Boris Weisfeiler in the Colonia, several years after his disappearance. At least one claims he was alive some three years later; another claims he was assassinated as a Soviet or Jewish spy. Weisfeiler's whereabouts remain unknown, and his sister Olga has immigrated to the United States and continues to petition numerous authorities to determine his fate. In early 2006 a Joint bipartisan Congressional letter signed by 27 Senators and Congressmen was delivered to Chilean President Michele Bachelet in the hopes of speeding up the investigation into his fate.