Ephraim Katzir, Former President of Israel and renowned scientist, dead at 93.

Ephraim Katchalski-Katzir was a gifted scientist and an Israeli patriot, who did honor to the office of president, contributed to Israeli and world science as well as to Israeli defence,  and enriched our lives. He believed that Israel must be a model society and that scientists should contribute to improvement of this "pilot project. In 2005, he summed up his vision thus: 

 

I have always thought of Israel as a pilot plant state in which dedicated people can explore all kinds of imaginative and creative possibilities aimed at improving society and the state. I feel certain that in the years to come we will continue to operate as a testing ground, drawing on the fruits of science and technology to determine the best and most satisfying ways of living in a country geared to the future. The highest standards of health care, educational practice, and cultural and recreational facilities will flow from research and development in the natural sciences, as well as in automation, computer science, information technology, communication, transportation, and biotechnology. I believe it is possible to create such a pilot plant state by encouraging the development of science-based high technology industry and agriculture. Once it gains momentum, this core of activity will contribute significantly to the economic growth and prosperity of the country. In this pilot plant state, I would like to see a free, pluralistic society, a democracy whose citizens live by the rule of law, and a welfare state in which public services are efficiently handled. Great emphasis will be laid on excellence in science and research, literature, and the arts, thus enriching the intellectual and cultural life of every citizen.

We Jews are eternal optimists. We have always believed, even in the depths of our despair, that the Messiah will come, even if he tarries a little. I am sure that ultimately we will create our model society geared for life in the twenty-first century and founded on the great moral and ethical tenets that we have held sacred since ancient times. (Katchalski-Katzir, E., Reflections , Journal of Biological Chemistry, Vol. 280, No. 17, Issue of April 29, 2005, pp. 16540–16541).

His biography: Ephraim Katchalski-Katzir.

Ami Isseroff  

 

 

Last update - 22:41 30/05/2009    
Israel's fourth president Ephraim Katzir dies, aged 93
By The Associated Press

Ephraim Katzir, Israel's fourth president and an internationally recognized biophysicist died Saturday at his home in Rehovot, several weeks after his 93rd birthday.

 

Katzir's 1973-1978 tenure spanned two seminal events in Israeli history: The 1973 Yom Kippur War and the historic visit of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat to Jerusalem in 1977.

 

He left the presidency after one term to return to scientific research, declining a second term due to his wife's illness.
 
"Ephraim Katzir was devoted to the state of Israel in all that he did and was a scientific pioneer," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement. "He also contributed to Israel's security, and his integrity and modesty set an example."

 

Born in Kiev in 1916, Katzir immigrated at age 6 with his family to British-ruled Palestine and studied biology at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, receiving his Ph.D. in 1941, according to his official biography on the Foreign Ministry Web site.

 

He served in the Haganah, the underground Jewish defense organization, where he helped to set up a military research and development unit that developed explosives, propellants and other munitions.

 

During the war that followed Israel's independence in 1948, he was appointed head of the military's science corps. He served as the Israeli military's chief scientist from 1966 to 1968, the Web site said.

 

Katzir was among the founders of Israel's renowned Weizmann Institute of Science and headed its biophysics department, where his work on synthetic protein models deepened understanding of the genetic code and immune responses.

 

Katzir was awarded the Israel Prize, the country's highest honor, in 1959 for his contribution to the natural sciences. He received the Japan Prize in 1985 for his work on immobilized enzymes used in oral antibiotics. In 1996, the former president was selected as the first Israeli to be invited to join the American Academy of Sciences.