Richard Krauss
27. Juni 2025
The Weizmann Institute’s Response to Crisis and the Importance of International Support
The Weizmann Institute of Science, founded in 1934 in Rehovot, Israel, as the Daniel Sieff Research Institute, owes its establishment to the visionary initiative of Dr. Chaim Weizmann, an eminent chemist and later the first President of the State of Israel. The foundation was laid by the Sieff family from London in memory of their prematurely deceased son Daniel. In 1949, on the occasion of Chaim Weizmann’s 75th birthday, the institute was renamed in his honor. From its very beginnings, the institute oriented itself towards the established structures of the Kaiser Wilhelm Society in Germany, and its proximity to an agricultural experimental station fostered pronounced interdisciplinary collaboration.
During the Second World War, the institute was significantly involved in war-related research projects, including the production of drugs such as Atabrin for the treatment of malaria. In 1941, Israel’s first pharmaceutical company was also founded at the institute. Since the 1950s, the Weizmann Institute has maintained close scientific relations with German research institutions, particularly with the Max Planck Society, and has since developed into one of the world’s leading multidisciplinary research centers.
The institute is internationally recognized for its groundbreaking contributions across a wide range of scientific disciplines. Among the distinguished personalities associated with the institute are several Nobel laureates, including Ada Yonath, Michael Levitt, and Arieh Warshel, as well as Turing Award winners such as Adi Shamir, Shafrira Goldwasser, and Amir Pnueli. With the development of WEIZAC in 1954/55, one of the world’s first electronic computers—and Israel’s very first—was built at the Weizmann Institute, laying the foundation for the later Israeli computer industry.
The institute pioneered the development of drugs for the treatment of cancer, multiple sclerosis (e.g., Copaxone®), Parkinson’s disease, and other serious illnesses. It was the first institute in Israel to conduct cancer research and to build particle accelerators. To promote technology transfer, the institute established the company Yeda Research and Development in 1959, through which nearly 2,000 patent families have been registered to date. In addition to WEIZAC, other significant computers of the Golem series were developed. Encryption and decryption technologies originating from the institute are used worldwide, for example, in the protection of digital transmissions. The institute has also achieved substantial advances in macromolecular chemistry, sensor technology, nanotechnology, optics, brain research, genetic diagnostics, as well as in agricultural research and sustainable energy production. Products based on research results from the institute generated global revenues of over 23 billion US dollars in 2022.
In June 2025, the institute suffered severe damage as a result of an Iranian missile attack. Several state-of-the-art laboratories, particularly in the fields of life sciences and cancer research, were destroyed. Decades of research and invaluable scientific insights were lost. Nevertheless, the institute is working tirelessly to restore research operations and repair the damage sustained.
Now, in this critical phase, the Weizmann Institute is dependent on the solidarity and support of the international community to continue its excellent and essential research for humanity.
Your donation directly contributes to the reconstruction of destroyed infrastructure and laboratories, the replacement of essential equipment, and enables scientists to return to their workplaces.
Every contribution supports the continuation of vital research in medicine, environmental science, and technology. Detailed information and the opportunity to donate can be found on the official website of the American Committee for the Weizmann Institute of Science. Just do it NOW. Thanks!!