From Others
Words on the Epoch of Gelfand
Israel Moiseevich Gelfand - was an epoch in Russian and world science. Books will be written about him. I am happy that I had an opportunity to work with him for a long time. I consider him one of my main teachers (by correspondence, as he joked).
As an adolescent, he entered the elite club of the Moscow mathematicians at the beginning of the 1930's and all accomplished mathematicians from Moscow and the Soviet Union, with rare exceptions, were influenced directly or indirectly by Gelfand's ideas and personality. Unfortunately, until now, his numerous students have not yet collected the invaluable material about his outstanding seminar- the Gelfand Seminar which eminent Russian and foreign mathematicians sought to attend. The list of talks from this seminar for over forty years of its existence presents an enormous interest for the history of mathematics. Does it exist?
I would like to point out two main features of Israel Gelfand as a scientist. The first feature is his rare and amazing intuition, a sharpened vision, and ability to guess and to forsee what has to be done. He had these features both in his professional work in mathematics and in his relations with mathematicians. The second feature is the breadth and strength of thought in connection with his aesthetic sense. The epoch of Gelfand has passed but he will live in the next generations.
--Anatoly Moiseevich Vershik
From Natalia Zamolodchikov December 2009
An Impression of the I.M. Gelfand Memorial Tatiana V.Gelfand, December 11, 2009
from Doron Zeilberg Rutgers University (October 6, 2009)
from A. Zelevinsky (October 6, 2009: in Russian only)
A Tribute to I. M. Gelfand for His 80th Birthday I. M. Singer, 1993
Biographic Sketch Simon Gindikin, 1991