Ephraim Katzir facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ephraim Katzir
אפרים קציר‎
4th President of Israel
In office 24 May 1973 – 29 May 1978
Prime Minister	Golda Meir Yitzhak Rabin Menachem Begin
Preceded by	Zalman Shazar
Succeeded by	Yitzhak Navon
Personal details
Born	16 May [O.S. 3 May] 1916 Kiev, Russian Empire (now Ukraine)
Died	30 May 2009(2009-05-30) (aged 93) Rehovot, Israel
Nationality	Israeli
Political party	Israeli Labor Party
Spouse	Nina Gottlieb
Children	3
Profession	Scientist
Signature

Ephraim Katzir (Hebrew: אפרים קציר; 16 May 1916 – 30 May 2009) was a famous Israeli scientist. He was a biophysicist, which means he studied how physics works in living things. He was also a politician from the Israeli Labor Party. From 1973 to 1978, he served as the fourth President of Israel.

Early Life and Education

Ephraim Katzir was born Efraim Katchalski in Kiev, which was then part of the Russian Empire. Today, Kiev is the capital of Ukraine. In 1925, when he was nine years old, his family moved to Mandatory Palestine. They settled in Jerusalem.

He went to Gymnasia Rehavia high school and finished in 1932. His classmates remembered him as a very bright student. He was good at everything, especially math.

Like his older brother, Aharon Katzir, Ephraim was very interested in science. He studied many subjects at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. These included botany (plants), zoology (animals), chemistry, and bacteriology (tiny living things). He earned his master's degree in 1938 and his PhD in 1941.

In 1939, he also joined the Haganah, which was a Jewish defense organization. He became a commander of a student unit.

Scientific Discoveries

After his studies in Israel, Ephraim Katzir continued his research abroad. He studied at places like the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn and Harvard University.

When he came back to Israel, he helped start the Department of Biophysics. This department was at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot. He became its head.

From 1966 to 1968, Katzir also worked as the Chief Scientist for the Israel Defense Forces. His main research focused on simple models of proteins. He also created a way to attach enzymes, which are special proteins that speed up chemical reactions. This work was very important for a field now called enzyme engineering.

Becoming President of Israel

President Katzir meeting with Bedouin leaders.

In 1973, the Prime Minister at the time, Golda Meir, asked Ephraim Katzir to become the President of Israel. He was working at Harvard University then. Before becoming president, he changed his family name from Katchalski to Katzir. In Hebrew, "Katzir" means 'harvest'.

On March 10, 1973, the Knesset (Israel's parliament) elected him as the fourth President of Israel. He officially started his job on May 24, 1973.

As president, he played an important role in Israel's history. In November 1977, he welcomed President Anwar Sadat of Egypt to Israel. This was a very important moment because it was the first time an Arab head of state officially visited Israel. This visit helped lead to a peace treaty between the two countries.

Ephraim Katzir decided not to run for a second term as president in 1978. He wanted to take care of his wife, who was ill. Yitzhak Navon became the next president. After leaving the presidency, Katzir went back to his scientific research.

Family Life

Ephraim Katzir was married to Nina Gottlieb. She was born in Poland. Nina was an English teacher and created a special way to teach languages. As the President's wife, she started a tradition. She invited authors of children's books and young readers to the President's Residence.

Ephraim and Nina had a daughter named Nurit. Sadly, Nurit passed away from an accident. In her memory, Nina established the Nurit Katzir Jerusalem Theater Center in 1978. They also had a son named Meir and three grandchildren.

Ephraim Katzir passed away on May 30, 2009, at his home in Rehovot.

Awards and Special Recognition

Ephraim Katzir received many important awards for his scientific work:

• In 1959, he was given the Israel Prize in life sciences. This is one of Israel's highest honors.
• In 1966, he became a member of the American Philosophical Society.
• Also in 1966, he was elected to the United States National Academy of Sciences.
• In 1972, he received the Sir Hans Krebs Medal.
• In 1977, he was elected as a Foreign Member of the Royal Society in the UK.
• In 1985, he was awarded the Japan Prize.
• In 2000, a special scholarship program was created in his honor. It is called the Katzir Scholarship Program.
• He also received the Tchernichovsky Prize for excellent translation work.

See also

In Spanish: Efraim Katzir para niños

• List of Israel Prize recipients