2025-06-24 22:36 <br/> Tags: #EarlyZionism #people #KeyPeople #WorldJewry #Yishuv #Israel #Lobby ![[image-14.png|465x310]] # Chaim Weizmann (1874-1952) - Weizmann was a renowned chemist and a very influential early Zionist 'founding father' of Israel. - Weizmann began his Zionist activism in the late 1890s right at the beginning of the Zionist movement. - Upon visiting Palestine he organizes the Palestine Land Development Company. The company bought land in Palestine and settled Jewish immigrants on the land. - in 1914 Weizmann floats the idea of a British military campaign to take Palestine to members of the Rothschild banking family. They approve of the idea, instructing Weizmann to make connections in the British government. - Weizmann was close with Arthur Balfour, Herbert Samuel, and Prime Minister Lloyd George - These connections led to the creation of the [[Balfour Declaration]] on November 2nd, 1917. - Weizmann was closely allied with [[Horace M. Kallen]] and [[Louis Brandeis]] in the effort to achieve the Balfour Declaration. - Weizmann chaired the [[Zionist Commission]] from its founding in 1918 until 1920 when he became head of the WZO. He was replaced at the ZC by [[Menachem Ussishkin]]. - Weizmann was president of the [[World Zionist Organization]] from 1920-1931 and from 1935-1946. - Weizmann led the [[Jewish Agency]] from its formation in 1929 until 1931. - Weizmann's influence within Zionism remained strong but noticeably decreased in the 30s and 40s. - This is in part due to the more moderate nature of Weizmann and the more radical and often militant nature of his contemporaries. Ex. Ben-Gurion, Yitzhak Ben-Zvi, Jabotinsky, Menachem Begin, Yitzhak Shamir. - In 1949 Weizmann is nominated as the Mapai (left wing socialist party) candidate. He wins the election on February 17 1949, becoming the first president of the State of Israel. - The [[Weizmann Institute|Weizmann Institute of Science]], a prestigious university in Israel, is named after Chaim Weizmann. #### References - Weir, Alison. _Against Our Better Judgment: The Hidden History of How the U.S. Was Used to Create Israel_. North Charleston, SC: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2014. - “Chaim Weizmann,” _Wikipedia_, last modified **5 July 2025**, 15:51 (UTC), [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaim_Weizmann](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaim_Weizmann). - **“Chaim Weizmann,”** _Jewish Virtual Library_, accessed June 24, 2025, [https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/chaim-weizmann](https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/chaim-weizmann). - Halkin, Hillel. _Jabotinsky: A Life_. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2014.