Los Alamos, New Mexico, was non-existent until the exigency of developing an atomic weapon forced the creation of the Manhattan Project and this secret science community in 1943.  A snapshot of the Theoretical Division roster at Los Alamos reveals a leadership structure that is disproportionately of Jewish heritage; the division leader, deputy division leader, chief consultant, and six of the eight group leaders were Jewish by some definition of the term.  Of the roughly 80 individuals in the division, four (all Jewish) would go on to become Nobel Laureates. These colorful individuals were unique characters, and their backgrounds and connections to Judaism were quite varied. This talk will explore members of this leadership team as well as some of the other Jewish, key individuals at Los Alamos during World War II and speculate on the connection between their presence at Los Alamos and their Jewish roots. 

Jack Shlachter is a physicist who worked at Los Alamos National Laboratory for over three decades with much briefer stints at Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York, the Atomic Energy Agency, and the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization, the latter two based in Vienna, Austria.  At Los Alamos, Jack proudly served as the division leader of Theoretical Division, an organization comprising over 300 scientists who pursue a broad range of research in theoretical physics, chemistry, biology, and mathematics.  In parallel, Jack was ordained as a rabbi in 1995.  He was the rabbi and spiritual leader for the Jewish congregation in Los Alamos for many years and is again supporting that community now.  Jack was the rabbi in Center Moriches, NY, during his years at Brookhaven, and his current rabbinic work is focused on serving HaMakom, a congregation in Santa Fe, NM.  He has also provided itinerant rabbinic support to far-flung Jewish communities including those in Vienna, Austria, and Beijing, China.