Benjamin Fain
An Israeli theoretical physicist whose scientific pursuit persisted through years of imprisonment as a Soviet refusenik.
1930–2013 (age 83)·Israeli physicist·Birthday: February 17·The Silent Generation
Biography
Benjamin Fain's life was a testament to the resilience of the human intellect under oppression. Born in the Soviet Union, he developed a passion for physics, specializing in quantum mechanics and the study of coherence in condensed matter. As a Jew seeking to emigrate to Israel in the 1970s, he was branded a refusenik, fired from his academic post, and eventually imprisoned in the Gulag for 'defaming the Soviet state.' His scientific mind, however, could not be incarcerated; he continued to work on theoretical problems, even smuggling out a research paper on superconductivity written on toilet paper. After international pressure secured his release and immigration to Israel in 1977, he rebuilt his career at Tel Aviv University, contributing significant work on the intersection of physics and biology. His story is one of unyielding dedication where science provided a lifeline of meaning against political tyranny.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Benjamin was born in 1930, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Benjamin Was Born
The biggest hits of 1930
#1 Movie
All Quiet on the Western Front
Best Picture
All Quiet on the Western Front
Benjamin's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1930Born
Pluto discovered
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $3,510President: Herbert Hoover"Body and Soul" — Paul WhitemanBest Picture: All Quiet on the Western Front
1935Started school
Social Security Act signed into law
Gas: $0.19/galHome: $3,450President: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Cheek to Cheek" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: Mutiny on the Bounty
1943Became a teenager
Allies invade Sicily; Battle of Stalingrad ends
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,290Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"I've Heard That Song Before" — Harry JamesBest Picture: Casablanca
1946Could drive
United Nations holds its first General Assembly
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $5,150Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Prisoner of Love" — Perry ComoBest Picture: The Best Years of Our Lives
1948Could vote
Israel declares independence; Berlin Blockade begins
Gas: $0.26/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Twelfth Street Rag" — Pee Wee HuntBest Picture: Hamlet
1951Turned 21
First color TV broadcast in the US
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Too Young" — Nat King ColeBest Picture: An American in Paris
1960Turned 30
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1970Turned 40
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1980Turned 50
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1990Turned 60
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
2000Turned 70
Y2K passes without incident; contested Bush-Gore election
Gas: $1.51/galHome: $119,600Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Breathe" — Faith HillBest Picture: Gladiator
2010Turned 80
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2013Died at 83
Edward Snowden reveals NSA surveillance programs
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $152,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Thrift Shop" — Macklemore & Ryan LewisBest Picture: 12 Years a Slave
Key Achievements
- Authored pioneering research on quantum coherence and condensation in biological systems, linking physics to biology.
- Continued his theoretical work while imprisoned in the Soviet Gulag, smuggling out scientific papers.
- Served as a professor of physics at Tel Aviv University, mentoring a new generation of scientists after his immigration.
Did You Know?
He wrote a scientific paper on superconductivity while in prison, using toilet paper as his notepad.
His case was championed by prominent Western scientists, which helped secure his release from the USSR.
He authored the book 'Quantum Thermodynamics' and explored philosophical questions about creation and existence in his later years.
“The quantum world is not strange; it is our classical intuition that is limited.”
