The Einstein Institute of Mathematics mourns the loss of one of the senior researchers and lecturers at the institute, Professor (Emeritus) Bezalel Peleg [z”l], and joins the family in their grief.

Shmuel Kaniel was among the founders of the study of numerical analysis in Israel, along with professor Chaim L. Pekeris [z”l] from the Weizmann Institute and professor Shalom Abarbanel. His book on the subject, published by Academon, served as a priceless textbook for generations of students at universities around Israel, and his courses (long before the age of computer science) were riveting and rewarding. His influence extended far beyond academia and into the various national security organizations and civilian tech companies, where many of the employees had come seeking practical applications for their studies after being influenced by his lectures and guidance. Every gathering with them today revives shared memories of him. He was a truly inspiring teacher and a senior fellow at the institute. More than anything else, he was a scholar from whom we drew so much inspiration. This was true not only in his academic discipline but also in the personal example he set – one of uncompromising intellectual honesty, rigor and courage in standing up for his principles, even if that meant standing alone in the face of many. His various campaigns for public accountability, which are preserved in Supreme Court filings and even in law school courses, hold a deeper and more noble resonance in the current circumstances.

Gideon Czapski was born in Berlin in 1932 and made aliyah at the age of two years old. In the early 1950s, he studied chemistry at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He received a master’s degree from the Hebrew University in 1956 and a doctoral degree in 1960, supervised by Professor Gabriel Stein. As part of his doctoral studies, he built an original machine to create free hydrogen atoms, to enable him to study the actions of these atoms within solutions. He received his post-doctorate degree from Brookhaven National Laboratory in the United States. In 1964, he was appointed as a senior lecturer at the Hebrew University and in 1970 was appointed as a full professor. His initial studies contributed significantly to the reputation of the Hebrew University in the field of radiation chemistry, and later in understanding the mechanics of free radicals in biological systems by using an electron accelerator. He served as the rector of the university from 1975-1979. He devoted his later years to ranking academic institutions and researchers based on the number of citations of their scientific papers. He passed away at the age of 85.

Professor Heitner-Wirguin was born in Ukraine. After the war, she moved with her parents to Belgium, where she completed a degree in chemical engineering. In the early 1950s, she made aliyah and wrote her doctoral dissertation under the supervision of professor Max Bobtelsky [z”l]. Later on, she received tenure and was appointed a full professor in 1980. Her research focused on inorganic chemistry: complexes, synthetic membranes and water desalination. She passed away at the age of 91.

Yehuda Haas was born in 1939 in Ramot Hashavim, Israel. He was among the founders of Kibbutz Nahal Oz in 1955. He studied for a bachelor’s degree at the Hebrew University and in 1971 received his doctoral degree from there too. He went to complete his post-doctoral studies at the University of California, Berkeley, and returned to the Hebrew University as a lecturer in 1974. He was promoted to the position of full professor in 1984. Yehuda studied photochemical mechanisms in solutions and gas phases using experimental tools (excitation via laser) as well as through quantum calculations. He also studied the decomposition mechanics of particularly high-energy molecules. Among his public-academic positions, Yehuda served as vice-president of the Authority for Research and Development at the Hebrew University as well as president of the Jerusalem College of Technology. He passed away at the age of 77.

Professor Grushka came to the Hebrew University for the first time in 1975 as a visiting professor, an I.M. Kolthoff Senior Fellow, from an associate professor position at the State University of New York at Buffalo. He ran the analytical chemistry laboratory at the Institute of Chemistry and was the senior teacher in analytical chemistry. The majority of his scientific work was dedicated to methods of separation, chromatography and capillary electrophoresis. He was awarded the Tsvet Medal (named after the inventor of chromatography) by the Academy of Sciences of the Soviet Union in the early days of his time at the university. Grushka published numerous papers with his students, both in theory and practice of methods of separation that they researched and became a world-leading researcher in this area. He edited (or was a co-editor) of over two dozen books in a series on developments in chromatography and was a member of the editorial staff of journal networks in his field. Among his roles at the Hebrew University, he was the head of the Institute of Chemistry for three years, making significant contributions to the institute’s development. Many postgraduate students spent their formative years under his tutelage before going on to become leading researchers in analytical chemistry in Israeli industry and at research and higher education institutions. Professor Grushka was much loved by his students and his peers at the institute. He received the chemistry program’s outstanding teacher award on numerous occasions throughout his career, and in 2015 he received the Milken Educator Award for seven consecutive years of excellence. May his memory be a blessing.

Born in Gyöngyös, Hungary, near the border with Slovakia, in 1926. In 1944, he was taken to Buchenwald. He survived the camp; however, his entire family was killed, with the exception of his two sisters. He studied for a master’s degree in chemistry in Graz, Austria, then made aliyah. He served in the IDF and was accepted to the Hebrew University in Jerusalem for doctoral studies in inorganic and analytical chemistry. He completed his post-doctoral studies at the laboratory of professor Fritz Feigl in Brazil. In later years, as a result of this connection, Feigl’s wife would later make a considerable donation to the Department of Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry. His research focused on analytical chemistry. He published numerous papers and books and spent sabbaticals in the United States.

Haim Levanon was born in 1938, the seventh generation of his family from Jerusalem. Following his military service in the Nahal paratroopers’ battalion, he spent two years living in Kibbutz Beit HaEmek, where he served as the secretary of the Nahal commune. He began his studies at the Hebrew University in 1960, where he completed a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and a master’s and doctoral degree in physical chemistry. Following a period of post-doctoral studies at Washington University, Missouri, from 1969-1972, Haim joined the academic staff of the Department of Physical Chemistry at the Hebrew University, where he founded a lab dedicated to magnetic resonance. In 1984, he completed his rise to the position of full professor. Among the numerous roles he held within the institution, he spent a decade as director of the Farkas Center for Light-Induced Processes, and was also the head of the Department of Physical Chemistry. He is survived by his wife, three children and many grandchildren.

Professor Blum received his doctoral degree from the Hebrew University in 1961 under the supervision of professor Ernst Bergmann, and was immediately appointed as a lecturer in the Department of Organic Chemistry. In 1978, he was promoted to the position of full professor. Professor Blum is considered the founding father of catalysis in Israel. He educated entire generations of students, many of whom can be found in senior management and research positions in chemical industries, start-up ventures, government and military R&D facilities, and professors in many of the leading higher education institutions in the country. Above all, he dedicated himself to educating and mentoring undergraduate students, and he continued to manage the educational organic chemistry lab for many years after his retirement. He continued to take an active part in research well into his later years, and his final scientific paper was published at the end of 2015. He was deeply devoted to supporting outstanding students from within the Arab community, and one of those students recently became the first professor from the community to be appointed in the Institute of Chemistry, and at the Edmond J. Safra Campus. He was a humble and modest man who never sought prizes and recognition, and he was much beloved by all.

Avinoam Danin was born in Haifa in 1939. However, he spent the vast majority of his life in the Beit HaKerem neighborhood in Jerusalem. He was awarded a doctoral degree in botany from the Hebrew University in 1970, was accepted onto the faculty in 1973, and was promoted to the rank of associate professor in 1989. He specialized in the botany and phytogeography of Israel. Over the years, he identified and defined 43 types of plants previously unrecognized by science, and three more were named after him. He passed away at the age of 76.

Professor Hochberg [z”l] from the Institute of Life Sciences and “BioCancell”, was born in 1938. He grew up in Haifa and received his academic education at the Hebrew University. It was here that he learned both biochemistry and archaeology, thereby bridging the gap between the humanities and life sciences. He conducted his academic research in the Department of Biological Chemistry, focusing primarily on non-coding genes – that do not encode protein – many years before such genes became an area of significant interest for basic and translational research. In addition to his research and teaching, Hochberg developed an innovative treatment for cancerous tumors by genetically engineering the activation of the gene he studied to suppress cancerous cells without harming healthy systems. This is the area of research of BioCancell, the company he founded in collaboration with “Yissum” – the technology transfer company of the Hebrew University – where he worked as the head scientist throughout his life. The clinical trials, which are being carried out in collaboration with Clal, are about to enter their third and decisive phase. In addition to all of the above, he also led guided tours in Jerusalem, in the Negev and in the Middle East. He was also a prolific painter and passionate about music and history. He is survived by his wife, Rachel, children and grandchildren. May his memory be a blessing.

Daniel Zohary was born in Jerusalem in 1926. He began his academic studies at the Hebrew University in 1945, however when the War of Independence broke out, he enlisted into the Palmach. As soon as the war was over, he returned to the university and completed his master’s degree in botany and geology. He pursued a doctoral degree at the University of California, Berkeley, following which he was accepted as a member of the academic staff in the Department of Genetics at the Hebrew University in 1956. He later served as head of the Institute of Life Sciences and set up the Department of Evolution, Systematics and Ecology. He was among the pioneers of research into the evolution of landraces around the world, and his book on the origins of landraces is considered the seminal work of scientific research in this field. In 2012, at the age of 86, he published an updated fourth edition of the book, which has been cited over 3,000 times, a rare achievement for researchers at the peak of their career on an international scale! He passed away at the age of 90.

Hefzibah Eyal-Giladi was born in 1925. She completed her bachelor’s degree at the Hebrew University during the War of Independence. After the war, she moved to the Netherlands, where she studied for a doctoral degree at Utrecht University under the supervision of the renowned embryologist Pieter Nieuwkoop. She returned to Israel in 1955 and joined the administrative staff of the Hebrew University in the Department of Zoology. Early on in her career, she studied the development of the neuromuscular system in amphibians. During the 1960s, however, she was among the first to develop the idea of early chick embryos as a model system for studying early stages of embryonic development, with an emphasis on the mechanism for determining embryonic stages. These areas of professional interest remained at the heart of her research for most of her career. Hefzibah taught introductory courses in zoology and animal anatomy, as well as more advanced courses in developmental biology, and she was a respected and popular teacher. Generations of students passed through her classroom, some of whom are academics in their own right in Israel today. She was head of the Department of Zoology and of the Institute of Life Sciences.

Mona Castel was born in South Africa in 1931 and made aliyah to Israel on her own at the age of 19, driven by a deep sense of Zionism. She completed all of her academic studies at the Hebrew University and in 1969 she was awarded her doctoral degree. After completing her post-doctoral studies elsewhere, she returned to the university and became a member of the academic staff in the Department of Zoology. She specialized in high-resolution analysis of the structure of the nervous system (ultrastructure). Owing to research needs and her professional specialization, she was among the founders of the electron microscopy center and served as its director for many years. In her later years, she gained extensive international recognition for her research on the biological clock in the hypothalamus that dictates daily behavior patterns. She passed away at the age of 84.

Itzhak Ohad was born in Romania in 1930. Ahead of the Declaration of Independence in 1947, at the age of 17, he was sent to work as a youth leader as part of the “Youth Aliyah” program. He spent a year supporting a group of young people in a transit camp near Amsterdam ahead of their arrival in Israel aboard the Negba in August 1948. During the War of Independence, he joined his friends in establishing Kibbutz Shoresh in the Judean Hills. In 1957, he was accepted for a master’s degree under the supervision of professor Shlomo Hestrin in the Department of Biochemistry. Hestrin was also his supervisor for his doctoral studies in philosophy (1963). After completing his doctoral degree, he went on to post-doctoral studies with professor George Palade at the Rockefeller University in New York, where he specialized in membrane biogenesis. During this period, professor Ohad made significant contributions to the development of the award-winning school of thought regarding the reciprocal relationship between structure and function, and in the biochemical and microscopic structural support of subcellular organelles. Upon joining the Hebrew University in 1966, he began to establish the groundwork for biochemical research into photosystems in photosynthesis in Israel, and he is undoubtedly among the pioneers of molecular and cellular biology of plant systems. Over the course of his academic career, Itzik, as he was known, published over 180 papers (around 40 of these came after his retirement). 59 postgraduate students came through his lab. More than 20 of them today hold academic positions in leading universities in Israel and abroad.

Professor Sergei Braun was born in Latvia in 1941. He studied chemical engineering and until the early 1970s, he was a project manager in the Soviet Union’s chemicals industry. After he submitted an application to make aliyah to Israel, he was dismissed from his job as head of a laboratory and found employment in hard manual labor instead to support his family. Upon his immigration to Israel, he commenced his doctoral studies at the Hebrew University. His dissertation was accepted in 1982, after which he went to Cornell University (USA) for his post-doctoral studies under the supervision of professor Efraim Racker, one of the leading biochemists of his generation. After completing these studies, he returned to the Hebrew University and established a biotechnological unit specializing in applied research. This unit provided solutions for the food, chemicals and biotechnological industries. The dozens of innovations Sergei invented include a type of biodegradable plastic, microbiological systems to produce diamine oxidase, and even extracting poisonous toxins from snake venom. He was possessed of a unique intellect. He spoke six languages fluently, and in addition to his notable scientific achievements, he also specialized in Jewish history, poetry and hilosophy.

Yitzchak Parnas, 11^th generation of the Parnas family that came to Jerusalem in the wake of the Spanish Inquisition, was born in Jerusalem in 1935. He completed his master’s degree in biology at the Hebrew University in 1960, and in 1963 he was awarded his doctoral degree in physiology, also from the Hebrew University. He was part of the academic staff of the university since 1966. In 1971, he was promoted to the rank of associate professor, and in 1975 he was appointed a full professor. Parnas held numerous positions within the Hebrew University, including head of the Neurobiology program, chair of the Physiology program, member of the executive and standing committees, among others. He was also dean of the Faculty of Science at the Hebrew University from 1981-1984. Over the years, he spent time as a visiting professor at Stanford University, NIH, CalTech, and Columbia University in New York, among others. Professor Parnas was elected as an honorary member of the Bavarian Academy and received the Max Planck Research Prize. Together with professor Hanna Parnas, he was awarded an honorary doctorate from the Technical University of Munich. He received official recognition from the Jerusalem Municipality for his public work on behalf of the city. He also held numerous positions with a national scope: he established the Israeli Society for Neuroscience and was elected as its first president. In 1995, he was appointed to the position of chairman of the National Council on Civilian Research and Development by Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. In 1990, cognizant of the imperative to improve scientific education in Israel, he established advanced laboratories at the Hebrew University for the academic benefit of middle and high school students from around the country. These labs were established in collaboration with the Jerusalem Municipality and the Jerusalem Foundation, and tens of thousands of students have benefitted from them. The model, which was the first of its kind in the world, was later adopted in other countries.

Born in Warsaw, Poland in 1922. He served in the Soviet Army during World War Two. He received his doctoral degree from Moscow State University in 1957. He made aliyah in 1959 and joined the Department of Physics at the Hebrew University the following year. In 1983, he was promoted to the rank of associate professor. His research was in the field of electrical conductivity of molecular solids. He passed away at the age of 93.

Nissan Zeldes was born in Jerusalem in 1926. He served as a commander in the Haganah during Israel’s War of Independence. He was among the standout students of professor Yoel Racah, and among the first in Israel to write a research paper in the field of theoretical nuclear physics. His research focused on the nuclear shell model that had been developed in the late 1940s. Zeldes completed his doctoral degree in 1956 under Racah’s supervision. He subsequently worked as a theoretical physics assistant and teacher at the university. He was a respected and beloved teacher among his students and his peers. In 1978, he was appointed a full professor. He gained a global reputation as an expert in the theory of nuclear mass and published several monumental works on the subject. He passed away at the age of 87.

Professor Avivi was born in Latvia and made aliyah in 1932. In 1942, he enlisted with the Jewish Settlement Police and served in the Upper Galilee until 1945. In 1954, he was awarded a doctorate in physics from the University of London, and in 1982 he was appointed a full professor. His research focused on the physics of electrical discharge and plasma. He passed away at the age of 94.

Professor Yatziv was born in Rehovot. He was awarded a doctorate in physics from the Hebrew University, and in 1972 he was appointed a full professor. His research focused on laser physics, and he invested significant time and effort into the development of laser systems and other military hardware. Together with professor Felix Dothan [z”l], he oversaw the introduction of the Hebrew University’s Talpiot program. He passed away at the age of 87.

Yeshaya Nebenzahl was born in Jerusalem in 1940, the son of Yitzchak Ernst Nebenzahl – second state comptroller of the State of Israel. He completed his doctoral degree in solid-state physics in 1970. He worked for Rafael from 1963-1985. In 1985, he was appointed a full professor at Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Together with Menachem Levin, he invented a new method for separating isotopes using lasers. In 1987, he was given the Professor E.D. Bergmann Award. In addition to physics, he published studies in neuroscience, scripture and the Temple in Jerusalem. In 2008, he published the book, “A Blameless and Upright Man: A Study and Reading of the Book of Job” (in Hebrew). He passed away at the age of 76.

Born in Brussels. He studied engineering and later transferred to physics. He completed his doctoral studies at the Free University of Brussels. He made aliyah in 1968 and joined the Racah Institute of Physics at the Hebrew University, where he was appointed a full professor in 1984. He retired in 1999 but continued to teach voluntarily for many years after that, and to engage in active research until the very end. Prof. Katz’ contributions came in the field of general relativity. He passed away at the age of 86.

He received his academic education at the University of Edinburgh, which awarded him his doctoral degree. In the 1950s he carried out research in the field of plasma physics. In 1959 he made aliyah and was appointed a lecturer, and later a senior lecturer, at the Department of Physics at the Hebrew University, today the Racah Institute of Physics. Kaufman dedicated the last 30 years of his life to the study of Jewish history and archeology, and he published three books on the subject. His last book, “The Temple Mount: Where is the Holy of Holies?” was published in 2004.

Born in Mexico City in 1947, the son of Polish immigrants. He moved with his family to the United States at the age of 15. In 1972 he was awarded a doctoral degree in physics from Princeton University and published his groundbreaking paper on the relationship between black holes and thermodynamics. He made aliyah to Israel in 1974 and took up a position on the academic staff at Ben-Gurion University. He joined the Hebrew University in 1990. In 2012, he was awarded the Wolf Prize for creating an entirely new discipline known as black hole thermodynamics. He was awarded the Israel Prize in Physics in 2005. He was renowned among his peers for his devotion to science, his innovative approach and his modesty. Professor Bekenstein suffered a heart attack while in Helsinki, where he had been invited to deliver a lecture on his work. He passed away at the age of 68.

Abraham Huss was born in Galicia. In 1961, he received his doctorate from UCLA, and upon his return to Israel, he joined the Department of Atmospheric Sciences. He was among the first to develop numerical models of the atmosphere and participated in building the first meteorological model of the Israel Meteorological Service. His former students now hold leading positions in various meteorological services, as well as in Israeli public service and academia. He passed away at the age of 91.