By Donald H. Harrison

SAN DIEGO--After Ephraim Katzir completed his term as the fourth president of Israel in 1978, he wanted to get away from politics, international affairs, and the stresses of public life and back to his beloved science. 

So, keeping as low a profile as possible, he moved with his wife Nina and daughter Irit for six months to La Jolla, California, where he used a fellow scientist’s office on the UCSD campus to rest, recuperate, study and write.

So successful was Katzir in keeping quiet his half-year-long stay at UCSD that following his death last Saturday at age 93 in Rehovot, current-day UCSD public relations officials were unaware that their campus had been the venue for a short chapter in the former Israeli President’s long life.   However, after spreading their information gathering net wide, they eventually were able to confirm the low-profile ex-president’s stay on campus.

William Allison, a researcher who investigated mitochondrial diseases and professor emeritus of biochemistry, subsequently told San Diego Jewish World that while Katzir never became a formal member of the UCSD faculty, he was extended the courtesy of being able to move into the office of Professor Nathan Kaplan to do his writing.  Kaplan at the time was visiting mainland China--one of the first American scientists permitted to do so following the thaw in China’s relations with the United States, Allison said.

Given that his UCSD sojourn was 30 years ago, there is some question over exactly whose office Katzir used, or if perhaps he had used two different ones over the six month period.  Prof. Ed Dennis remembered Katzir using Room 4080 of what was then called the Basic Science Building, and which is now called the Biomedical Sciences Building.

That room was Biology Professor Morris Friedkin’s “scientific office while he was Provost of Revelle,”  and was “adjacent to Nate Kaplan’s office,” messaged Dennis. 

It's possible that Kaplan returned from China while Katzir was still at UCSD, necessitating a change of offices, Dennis suggested. He said he has a recollection of seeing Kaplan and Katzir together at a social function that year.

Regardless of all that, Katzir "was very low key, interested in discussing his science as a biochemist studying protein structure and function," Dennis said.   "I had serveral interesting chats and conversations with him during his stay.”

“I don’t recall there being any security presence or concerns expressed, which is surprising given our current times,” added Dennis of UCSD’s Chemistry/ Biochemistry Department.

Known to scientists around the world as Ephraim Katchalsky before he Hebraicized his surname, Katzir had met Kaplan—a former chairman of the biophysics department at Brandeis University—at various scientific conferences around the world.  Similarly, he had a long-standing friendship with Murray Goodman, then chairman of UCSD’s chemistry department—a relationship that predated Katzir’s acceptance of Israel’s presidency in 1973.

Allison had been a student of Kaplan’s at Brandeis University and, like him, migrated across country to the UCSD campus, where he was assigned the office next door to Kaplan.  That was how he became Katzir’s temporary next-door neighbor, he recalled.

“I remember that he was a great biochemist, and that I was in awe talking to him about science,” Allison said in a telephone interview.   “He never talked about the presidency—the only insight I got was that he was very happy that he was no longer president.”

Katzir had served as Israel' president during some tumultuous years.  The Yom Kippur War occurred while he was in office, as did Egyptian President Anwar Sadat’s subsequent surprise offer to fly to Jerusalem, thus beginning the process that led to the Camp David peace accord between Israel and Egypt.

Katzir was among the Israeli dignitaries who lined up to greet Sadat at the Ben-Gurion Airport, a place of considerable pain for him because the same airport was where his brother, renowned chemical physicist Aharon Katzir, was one of 24 persons indiscriminately murdered in 1972 by three members of the Japanese Red Army on behalf of the Popular Front for
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Ephraim Katzir and Murray Goodman in Toronto, 1991
{Photo courtesy of Zelda Goodman}


the Liberation of Palestine. Ben Gurion Airport then was kn0wn as the Lod Airport after the city in which it is located.

Aharon Katzir, like Ephraim, had been on the faculty of the Weitzmann Institute in Rehovot.  During the Independence War, the two worked together to develop explosives for the Hagganah—a process that people used to joke about later because it was so stinky.  In order to keep the project secret—and not to offend the noses of other Hagganah members—the two brothers had to mix up their chemicals in a cave, according to a story told by the Jerusalem Post in Katzir’s obituary.

Eligible  for a second five-year term as Israel’s President, Katzir turned it down, saying his wife Nina had been ailing.

In La Jolla, however, Mrs. Katzir’s health apparently had rallied.  Zelda Goodman, wife of then- department chair Murray Goodman, said the Katzirs rented a house in La Jolla Shores, and that she and Nina often went shopping together.  In contrast to her husband, who was quiet and preferred the company of books and academic colleagues, Nina, an educator who was interested in children's books, was quite social, Zelda Goodman recalled. 

As one who would become a driving force in the development of the San Diego Jewish Book Fair at the Lawrence Family JCC, Goodman and Nina Katzir were kindred spirits.

The Goodmans entertained the Katzirs in their La Jolla home, with dinners often being a time when the men who were scientists would get into earnest discussions about their work.   Sometimes, quipped Zelda, the “more mature ones” remembered to occasionally discuss other topics that their spouses could enjoy as well.

Ephraim Katzir had  a worldwide reputation for his work with polyamino acids, which were useful in developing a drug for the treatment of multiple sclerosis.  Goodman on the other hand was considered an expert in peptides.

Allison said that while Katzir had his own scientific emphasis, he clearly enjoyed hearing about all related areas of biochemistry and biophysics.

After considerable coaxing, Murray Goodman was able to persuade Katzir to give one lecture to scientific colleagues who came from the UCSD campus, from the Salk Institute,  Scripps Clinic  and from various private scientifically-oriented companies near the campus.   Allison recalled that a lecture hall for approximately 400 persons was packed with colleagues.

The ex-Israeli president also would sit in on seminars with graduate students in her husband's seminars, Goodman said.

In contrast, Katzir was quite reluctant to give talks about Israel, not even to the Jewish community, knowing that if he gave one speech, he would be besieged with other invitations—just what he had wanted to get away from, according to Zelda Goodman.

She said that back when Katzir was President of Israel, she and her husband visited him at the Presidential residence in Jerusalem, which was a thrill.  The last time she saw him was about five years ago, shortly before her husband Murray died, when they visited him at the Weizmann Institute, where he had a residence on campus.

She recalled that Katzir at that time expressed a great deal of concern about Iran’s intentions in the Middle East, but in a quiet, thoughtful way, rather than in a bombastic way.  He didn’t urge any particular course of action, she said.

It was in Rehovot that Katzir was buried on Sunday evening.  Although he was eligible to be buried at Mount Herzl in Jerusalem with Israel’s other heads of state and prime ministers, he chose to be buried  close to the Weizmann Institute, with which he had been associated for six decades.

Harrison's email: editor@sandiegojewishworld.com

Obama parries clearly anti-Israel questions from NPR interviewers

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Press Release)--U.S. President Obama on Tuesday fended off a series of undisguised anti-Israel questions from National Public Radio, refusing to be drawn into negative characterizations of the Jewish state. Obama reiterated his belief in a two-state solution, called on Israel to stop building settlements and on Palestinians to stop incitement against Israel, and waved aside a suggestion by NPR that if he is willing to meet with Iran, perhaps he should also meet with Hezballah and Hamas. Iran, he said, is a nation state; neither Hezballah nor Hamas fall into that category. The President reiterated that if Hamas to deal with the U.S., it must first recognize Israel, agree to uphold past agreements of the Palestinian Authority, and to end violence. Here is a link to the radio interview —Donald H. Harrison


Boxer mourns murdered abortion provider; calls for peaceful debate

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Press Release)--Senator Barbara Boxer (Democrat, California) on Monday issued this statement in response to the murder of Dr. George Tiller:

"I send my condolences to Dr. Tiller's family, friends and patients who relied on him. The debate over abortion rights is very difficult and reaches deep into religion, philosophy and one’s view of Roe v. Wade. Everyone has the right to work for changes in the law.  But to assault a health care worker, a patient or anyone else because of a disagreement about an issue, regardless of how contentious, brings all of humanity down into a dark pit of violence.  Such actions must not be tolerated.

"Many women have attested to Dr. Tiller's steadfast advocacy for women's health care and reproductive rights.  Even in the face of repeated acts of harassment and violence, he remained true to the law and worked to provide women with a safe place to turn.

"Today, we must renew our commitment to work together, across the religious and ideological spectrum, to find common ground and resolve our differences in a peaceful and responsible way.

GM bankruptcy prompts comments from Jewish officeholders

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Press Release) -- Senator Carl Levin (Democrat, Michigan) on Monday issued the following statement on GM's decision to declare bankruptcy.

“There is a huge amount of pain associated with today’s announcements by General Motors. There will be plant closings that will cause great hardship to the hard-working Americans who will lose their jobs and to communities in Michigan and across this country.

“Just as we have all done everything we possibly could to help GM survive, we now need to put our shoulders to the wheel for two goals: supporting in every way we can the people whose jobs are lost, in part with a greater emphasis on new energy technologies that can be developed in Michigan, and doing our utmost to help the new GM become a strong and vibrant company.

“The ultimate outcome of today’s announcement -- GM’s survival and rebirth -- is by far a better outcome than the alternative of GM’s liquidation. GM’s future today looks better overall than it looked a month ago because of agreements that have been reached with the UAW and with a majority of GM’s bondholders. This will make it possible for GM to come out of a



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bankruptcy process faster and more successfully than might otherwise be the case. GM has also made an important new commitment to build more small cars in America, which will increase the share of GM vehicles sold in the US that are built here.

“I join President Obama in looking forward to a new GM that ‘is once more a symbol of America’s success.’”

Other Jewish public officials had these comments:

Congressman Steve Cohen (Democrat, Tennessee): "This morning, along with other Members of Congress and Governors, I participated in a conference call with the CEO of GM.  I asked the first question of the CEO, regarding the status of the Spring Hill, Tennessee facility and also asked about the future of the GM Parts Distribution Center (PDC) in Memphis.  While I was disappointed to learn that the Spring Hill facility has been placed on standby status, I was pleased to learn that the GM PDC in Memphis will remain open, even though many other PDC’s around the country are closing. 

“As the Chairman of the House Subcommittee that deals with our nation’s bankruptcy laws, I am deeply concerned about the health care and pensions of GM’s workers and retirees.  Tennesseans have earned these benefits through their hard work and are entitled to them.  The plan that GM outlined this morning would allow these commitments to be met, and I will be watching closely to see that they are.

“In the weeks to come, I believe that government leaders must work together to help Tennessee’s small businesses, employees and their families weather this new economic challenge.  It is critical that we work to preserve the jobs we already have and be prepared to take bold steps to attract new business to our state.”

Congressman Sander Levin (Democrat, Michigan): “The accelerated downsizing of General Motors brings significant pain for families and communities even as we now have important assurance of the long-term viability of this restructured company. 

“Because of the leadership of the UAW, and the willingness of the workers to make additional sacrifice to preserve GM’s future, GM enters bankruptcy with important agreements in place that should facilitate a quicker exit from court.  Workers and suppliers will continue to get paid, and health care and pension benefit obligations will move forward with the new company.

“Chrysler’s exit from bankruptcy today and their ability to finalize an agreement with Fiat is an important indicator of the ability of all stakeholders, with the support of the Federal government, to come together to preserve a vital company’s future.

“We must re-double our efforts to support suppliers during this next period and the families and communities who are receiving difficult news today of additional plant closings and job loss. 

“After many months of countering the arguments of the opponents of efforts to stabilize the domestic auto industry, the federal government’s commitment to and investment in the future of a domestic auto industry is clear.   The government has also made clear, as re-iterated by GM CEO Fritz Henderson this morning, that business decisions have been -- and will continue to be made -- by GM’s management, not by the federal government.  A successful restructuring is not only vital to America’s economic base but also to a return to the taxpayer of the investment of our taxpayer dollars.

 “Importantly, the common efforts of many led to changes to the GM restructuring plan that will increase the percentage of domestic production.  It is vital that we finalize a voucher program to spur consumer demand and that we accelerate federal programs that leverage investments in the advanced technologies that will power the car of tomorrow as we re-build the domestic auto industry.”