Chaim+Weizmann

__ Chaim Weizmann (1874-1952) __

Chaim was born in 1874 to a moderate Jewish family and was educated by his father. He then attended a Russian secondary school and finally received his doctorate in Chemistry in 1899 from Geneva. From his earliest age Chaim was a prominent leader in the Zionist movement. He began with his support to a young Zionist group called the Democratic Faction. He encouraged them "to challenge the cautious policies of established Zionist leadership", and their first major project was a "Jewish University in Palestine". In 1904 Weizmann was hired by the University of Manchester and while there met both Blafour and Churchill. During WWI Weizmann took a job with the government and became instrumental in developing Acetone, which is used to make mortar shells, a very valuable weapon for the British military. Due to this development and a rather high amount of publicity, Weizmann became well know and was able to establish connections with important British officials. Through these connections Weizmann was able to further the Zionist cause by persuading the British officials that the establishment of a Jewish State in the Middle East would be beneficial to Britain. Due to his strong abilities of persuasion and easily likeable character Weizmann was able to secure the writing of the Balfour Declaration in 1917. In 1919, the war being over, Weizmann led the Zionist Delegation to the Paris Peace Conference and confirmed the British Mandate of Palestine and began negotiations to “establish the legal basis for the Jewish Home in Palestine”. Weizmann became the president of the World Zionist Organization (WZO) and worked diligently to strengthen the Jewish presence in Palestine. Weizmann then became the first president of the State of Israel.

Citation: Wasserstein, Bernard. "Chaim Weizmann [1874-1952]." //Encyclopedia of the Madern// //Middle East and North Africa//. Print.

Chaim Weizmann