Chaim Weizmann

Chaim Weizmann , 1874-1952, scientist and Zionist leader, first president (1948-52) of Israel, b. Russia, grad. Univ. of Freiburg, 1899. He lectured in chemistry at the Univ. of Geneva (1901-3) and later taught at the Univ. of Manchester. Active in Zionism from his youth, Weizmann first visited Palestine in 1907. He became a British subject in 1910, and in World War I he was (1916-19) director of the British admiralty laboratories. He became famous when he developed a synthetic acetone to be used in the manufacture of explosives. In 1917 he helped procure the pro-Zionist declaration of Arthur James Balfour . A founder of so-called synthetic Zionism, Weizmann supported grass-roots colonization efforts as well as higher-level diplomatic activity. After 1920 he assumed leadership in the world Zionist movement, serving twice (1920-31, 1935-46) as president of the World Zionist Organization. In World War II he was (1939-45) honorary adviser to the British ministry of supply and did research on synthetic rubber and high-octane gasoline. When the republic of Israel was founded (1948), Weizmann became the first president. At Rehoboth, where he lived, Weizmann founded a research institute (now the Weizmann Institute of Science). He wrote many papers for scientific journals. Ezer Wiezman is his nephew.

Bibliography: See his autobiography (1949); his letters and papers (3 vol., 1968-72); biography ed. by M. W. Weisgal and J. Carmichael (1962); studies by I. Berlin (1958) and I. Kolatt (1970); P. Goodman, ed., Chaim Weizmann: A Tribute (1959).

Weizmann, Chaim (b. 27 Nov. 1874, d. 9 Nov. 1952). President of Israel 1948–52 Born in Motol in Russian Poland, he received a doctorate degree at the University of Freiburg, and from 1904 lectured at the University of Manchester. He became a leading Zionist figure in England and lobbied successfully to bring about the Balfour Declaration. Chairman of the Zionist Commission to Palestine in 1918, he was the president of the World Zionist Organization, 1920–31, 1935–46. In 1929 he succeeded in obtaining from Britain recognition of the Jewish Agency, in which he played a major part. He supported the establishment of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and other cultural institutions that were prerequisite for statehood. He was an effective and influential lobbyist for the international recognition of a state of Israel after World War II, gaining the sympathy of the UN as well as of the USA under Truman. The importance of his role in the establishment of an Israeli state was reflected in his election as the country's first head of state.

Weizmann, Chaim (1874–1952) Zionist leader, first president of Israel (1948–52). Born in Belarus, he became a naturalized British subject in 1910. He played the major role in securing the Balfour Declaration (1917). He was president of the World Zionist Organization (1920–31, 1935–46), provisional president of Israel (1948) and elected president from 1949.