_משרד_המדע_

DR. CHAIM WEIZMANN
- SCIENTIST AND
STATESMAN, THE FIRST
PRESIDENT OF ISRAEL,
ONE OF THE FOUNDERS
OF THE MODERN FIELD
OF BIOTECHNOLOGY
AARON AARONSOHN
BOTANIST,
AGRONOMIST,
ENTREPRENEUR,
ZIONIST LEADER
AND HEAD OF THE
NILI UNDERGROUND
ORGANIZATION
Aaron Aaronsohn (1876-1919)
Aaron Aaronsohn, known as the “first Israeli
scientist,” discovered the wild wheat - “the mother
of wheat” - in 1906. He believed that investigating
the properties of wheat could lead to improved
crops, help crops resist diseases and dry weather,
and enable wheat cultivation in difficult areas. Thus,
according to his vision, wheat crops could be doubled
and tripled, thereby reducing the threat of famine
throughout the world. Today his discovery is more
important than ever, because of climate changes and
global warming.
Scientific advice: Prof. Ran Aaronsohn,
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Photo: Item PHG1010280, Central Zionist Archives
HISTORICAL FIGURES
Dr. Chaim Weizmann (1874-1952)
Dr. Chaim Weizmann, a world-renowned chemist who for
many years headed the World Zionist Organization, was the
first president of both the Weizmann Institute of Science
and the State of Israel. He had over 100 registered patents
to his name, including one for fermenting acetone from
plant material using a particular bacterium. This pioneering
research is regarded as one of the cornerstones of modern
biotechnology. Weizmann was one of the founders of the
Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and he founded the Daniel
Sieff Research Institute, which would develop into the
Weizmann Institute of Science. He understood the importance
of integrating science with industry and advanced the
establishment of science-based industry. On the connection
between science and the land of Israel, he said: “I trust and
feel sure in my heart that science will bring to this land both
peace and a renewal of its youth, creating here the springs of
a new spiritual and material life. I speak of both science for
its own sake and science as a means to an end...”
Photo: Weizmann Institute of Science Archives
HISTORICAL FIGURES
44 4