First Address to the Knesset
Chaim Weizmann
1949
Paths to Fulfillment
It is with a feeling of deep reverence and consecration that I rise to open the Constituent Assembly of the State of Israel, the first Knesset Israel of our time in this eternal city of Jerusalem. At this great moment of our history let us give thanks and praise to the God of Israel who in His mercy granted us the privilege of…
Engage with this Source
Creator Bio
Chaim Weizmann
1874–1952
The Zionist leader and chemist Chaim Weizmann was born to an observant Jewish family in Motol, Russian Empire (now in Belarus). He studied at universities in Berlin and Switzerland, receiving a doctorate in chemistry. In 1904, Weizmann moved to England to teach chemistry at the University of Manchester and from 1905 to 1908 worked for the Clayton Aniline Company, also in Manchester. Weizmann is credited with ensuring British support for the establishment of a Jewish homeland through the 1917 Balfour Declaration. Throughout his service as a leading figure in the Zionist movement, Weizmann pursued a scientific career and devoted himself to the establishment of a scientific research institute in Mandatory Palestine. In 1949, the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot (formerly the Daniel Sieff Institute) was renamed in his honor. He worked to gain support for a Jewish state from the United States as well as the United Nations. From 1920 to 1931 and 1935 to 1946 Weizmann served as president of the World Zionist Organization. He was elected president of the state of Israel in 1949, and he served in this role until his death.
Related Guide
The State of Israel and Jewish Culture, 1945–1973
Early Israeli statehood balanced collectivist Zionist ideals with growing individualism and saw the emergence of a vibrant but conflicted national culture.
Related Guide
The Aftermath of the Holocaust in Israeli Culture
Israelis struggled to integrate Holocaust memory into national identity, as survivor literature challenged a preference for heroic resistance narratives.
You may also like
Essays on the Stories of Shai Agnon
In S. Y. Agnon’s comprehensive literary project, we must also see A Guest for the Night as an epic expansion on one central subject, whose tones burst out and rise from most of…
The Bible and Mythological Polytheism
What is the place of the idolatry that is reflected in the Bible?
This idolatry is not a representation perverted for the sake of polemic; nor is it an artificial…
The Problems of Native Music in Israel
The first issue that should have occurred to a European-born, reality-sensitive composer upon immigration to the Land of Israel is: Is the musical…
Religious Praxis: The Meaning of Halakhah
Living in accordance with the Halakhah, demarcating a sphere of the sacred through halakhic practice—is this the ultimate end of the religious life? The answer is both yes and no. On the one hand…
The Newly Arrived Men of Letters
The man of letters who cares about his links with the people—who is of the opinion that there is no backbone to his literary production except when his social source is present, typified by the…
Painting and Sculpture in Israel
It is not enough to see a statue. A statue has to be sensed with the fingertips. In our imagination we touch the statue, caress it, examine its rounded and hollow surfaces, and by doing so our sense…