VIDEO: Admiral Hyman Rickover: Engineer of Power
Rebecca Keys
Hyman George Rickover (1899–1986), born Chaim Godalia Rykower in a Polish shtetl, was the longest-serving U.S. military officer in history and an almost mythical figure in the United States Navy. Possessing engineering brilliance, a ferocious will, a combative personality, and an indefatigable work ethic, he oversaw the development of nuclear marine propulsion and the first civilian nuclear utility.
In a new biography in the Jewish Lives series published by Yale University Press, independent historian and award-winning freelance journalist Marc Wortman, PhD, explores the constant conflict Rickover faced and provoked, tracing how he revolutionized the navy and Cold War strategy.
Wortman is in conversation with Bruce E. Kahn, retired U.S. Navy Chaplain and Rabbi Emeritus at Temple Sholom in Chevy Chase, MD, who co-officiated at Rickover’s memorial service.
This program is hosted by The Center for Jewish History and is funded, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.
This event took place on February 17, 2022.
