Cyril Domb Biography

Can religion and science ever be reconciled? This age-old question has had many a great mind baffled, but not Cyril Domb. The theoretical physicist best known for his works on phase transitions and critical phenomena of fluids was also an orthodox Jew deeply devoted to the religion of Judaism. As a young child he had been tutored in Jewish studies and thus religion became a major part of his life. A brilliant kid, he had always loved mathematics and was blessed with an excellent memory. He went to college on a scholarship and eventually became a professor of theoretical physics. He founded the British Association of Orthodox Jewish Scientists as someone who was both a scientist and a highly religious Jew. Even though best known for his writings on Phase Transitions and Critical Phenomena, he was equally devoted in his efforts to prove to the world that science and religion need not be mutually exclusive of each other. Religion was never against science, and he wrote on a variety of topics reconciling the apparent differences between science and Judaism. He served as a professor for most of his life and was very much loved and respected by his students.