Professor Ephraim Katzir, the fourth president of the State of Israel and one of its greatest scientists, died on Saturday night (May 30) at the age of 93. A world-renowned biochemist and physicist, Prof. Katzir served as Israel's president from 1973 to 1978.

“He was an outstanding man, a world famous scientist who made an extraordinary contribution to the security of the State of Israel,” President Shimon Peres said of Katzir following his passing.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in his statement that Katzir showed his “commitment to the State of Israel in everything he did,” and praised him as a “pioneer” in his academic fields.

Katzir was born in Kiev in 1916 as Ephraim Katchalski Katzir, his family immigrated to British-ruled Palestine when he was six years old, and he grew up in Jerusalem. Following high school in Jerusalem, he enrolled in the Hebrew University of Jerusalem where he studied botany, zoology and bacteriology before fi nally concentrating on biochemistry and organic chemistry.

In 1941, he completed his Ph.D. thesis on simple synthetic polymers of amino acids and continued his education at the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn, Columbia University and Harvard University. .

Professor Katzir was one of the founding scientists of the Weizmann Institute of Science in 1949, an institution with which he has been associated throughout his professional career, both before and after serving as President.

As founder and head of the Institute’s Biophysics Department, his pioneering studies in the study of proteins contributed to the deciphering of the genetic code, the production of synthetic antigens and the clarification of the various steps of immune responses.

The understanding of polyamino acid properties led, among other things, to Weizmann scientists’ development of Copaxone, a drug used worldwide for the treatment of multiple sclerosis.

He also devoted himself to the promotion of biotechnological research in Israel and founded the Department of Biotechnology at Tel Aviv University.

The creation of this department was a continuation of his previous efforts to establish science-based industries in Israel: he had helped create several companies based on the fruits of scientifi c research.

Katzir was also awarded the Israel Prize, the country’s highest honour, in 1959 for his contribution to the natural sciences.

In 1985, he received the Japan Prize for work on immobilised enzymes used in oral antibiotics.

He was selected in 1996 as the first Israeli to be invited to join the American Academy of Sciences.

_{(Issue June 2009)}