How Albert Einstein Inspired Mandy Patinkin to Rescue Refugees

For most people, Albert Einstein’s name is synonymous with physics and his theory of relativity that redefined our understanding of the universe.

For author Benyamin Cohen, however, Einstein is so much more: the world’s most unlikely celebrity, a social media star with 20 million followers, a Nobel prize winner whose face adorns coffee mugs and T-shirts, whose influence is seen in everything from weather forecasting and GPS technology to the search for aliens and the invention of time machines.

In Cohen’s new book, The Einstein Effect, he interviews people from all walks of life who are inspired by Einstein – including actor Mandy Patinkin. Einstein launched the International Rescue Committee to save his fellow German Jews from the Holocaust, and it remains one of the largest refugee aid organizations in the world. Patinkin, a long-time refugee activist, is the organization’s ambassador.

The News Director of the Forward, Benyamin Cohen is also the author of My Jesus Year: A Rabbi’s Son Wanders the Bible Belt in Search of His Own Faith.

A critically acclaimed actor on stage, screen and television, Mandy Patinkin has won a Tony for his portrayal of Che in Evita and a Primetime Emmy for his role in Chicago Hope. A long-time refugee activist, he is the spokesperson for the International Rescue Committee.

Moderated by Jodi Rudoren, editor of the Forward.