On another level, I want to mention that I have a strong Jewish identity and - over the years - have been involved in several Jewish projects, such as the establishment of a strong program of Judaic Studies at the University of California in San Diego.

During one or two summers, as well as part-time during the school year, I worked for a small Canadian company which developed electrical instruments for military planes.

My commitment to a humane and peaceful world continues to this day.

Originally I had planned to revert to nuclear physics there, in particular the structure of the deuteron.

My father, who had lost a brother, fighting on the Austrian side in World War I, was a committed pacifist.

I was born in 1923 into a middle class Jewish family in Vienna, a few years after the end of World War I, which was disastrous from the Austrian point of view.

I was fortunate to find an extraordinary mathematics and applied mathematics program in Toronto.