Chaim Weizmann - (Tauber Institute Series for the Study of European Jewry) by Jehuda Reinharz & Motti Golani (Hardcover)

About the Book

"A magisterial biography of Israel's first president. Beginning with his childhood in Belorussia and concluding with his tenure as president, Reinharz and Golani describe how a Russian Jew, who immigrated to the United Kingdom in the early twentieth century, was able to advance the goals of Theodor Herzl, the founder of the Zionist Organization. "--

Book Synopsis

A magisterial biography of Israel's first president.

In Chaim Weizmann: A Biography, Jehuda Reinharz and Motti Golani show how Weizmann, a leader of the World Zionist Organization who became the first president of Israel, advocated for a Jewish state by gaining the support of influential politicians and statesmen as well as Jews around the world. Beginning with his childhood in Belorussia and concluding with his tenure as president, Reinharz and Golani describe how a Russian Jew, who immigrated to the United Kingdom in the early twentieth century, was able to advance the goals of Theodor Herzl, the founder of the Zionist Organization. Weizmann is also shown as a man of human foibles--his infatuations, political machinations, and elitism--as well as a man of admirable qualities--intelligence, wit, charisma, and dedication.

Weizmann, who came to the UK to work as a biochemist, was in regular communication with British political figures, including prime ministers Arthur James Balfour, David Lloyd George, Winston Churchill, and Ramsay MacDonald. He also met presidents of the United States from Woodrow Wilson to Harry Truman. His success in earning the support of British political figures helped lead to the Balfour Declaration, which advocated for a "national home" for the Jewish people in Palestine.

As the authors show in this authoritative account of Weizmann's life, Weizmann was guided by the belief that "Zion shall be redeemed in justice," a phrase that recurs often in his writings.

Review Quotes

"Reinharz and Golani have described with sure hand the peculiar route of Chaim Weizmann, his strengths and weaknesses, as well as the intricate Zionist story at the backdrop. Both authors deserve recognition and praise for mastering such an intricate historical saga."-- "Israel Affairs"

"Reinharz and Golani have produced as definitive a statement as can be imagined, uncovering what motivated Weizmann as both a committed public figure and a human being." -- "Choice"

"The majestic work by Reinharz and Golani, Chaim Weizmann: A Biography, is as absorbing as it is comprehensive. . . . A tour de force that should be on the bookshelves of anyone with an interest in the history and evolution of the Zionist movement. . . . It will become the definitive work on Chaim Weizmann in the years to come." -- "Jerusalem Post Magazine"

"Authors Reinharz and Golani have produced a work of outstanding significance, furthering and deepening our understanding of the political and personal factors leading to, and following, the foundation of the State of Israel. . . . A deeply researched account of this most remarkable of men, and the story they have to tell grabs the reader from its earliest pages and sweeps them forward to its conclusion 812 pages later."-- "Jerusalem Post"

"A defin­i­tive account of the oft-over­looked Zion­ist states­man. . . . a detailed and engag­ing por­trait of Weizmann's count­less accomplishments." -- "Jewish Book Council"

"Weizmann's story is important not only as a matter of biography but in understanding the history of twentieth-century Zionism. . . . The authors have produced a major achievement in biography and Jewish history that illuminates the birth of the modern Middle East." -- "Wall Street Journal"

"This book is by no means concerned only with politics, Zionism, or Jewish history. It is a magnificent, epic study of world affairs, and of how much one man could do and also why, in the end, he felt so isolated."-- "New York Sun"

"Magisterial. . . . Weizmann's non-stop story makes for a riveting biography." -- "Jewish Chronicle"

"Chaim Weizmann is worth the time to travel through a remarkable life. The text is simple, clean, and modern, almost a necessity for a book so large to really be read and appreciated. . . . An epic but comprehensive and highly readable biography."-- "New York Journal of Books"

"As a chemist, Chaim Weizmann was a man of data and fact. As a diplomat, he was a man of imagination and overarching vision. As a statesman, he employed every facet of his complex intriguing identity to establish the political platform from which the State of Israel would rise. In Chaim Weizmann: A Biography, Reinharz and Golani bring to the fore this monumental figure of modern Israeli history in a gripping, precise, and humane manner. This riveting account of a man who made Zionism his trade and went on to preside over the Jewish, democratic State of Israel is a very important addition to the collective Jewish library."--Isaac Herzog, President of the State of Israel

"A scrupulously detailed work chronicles the incremental triumph of Zionism through its greatest champion."-- "Kirkus Reviews"

"An expansive and engrossing study . . . Vast and detailed, Chaim Weizmann captures Weizmann's tenacity, shrewd compassion, and the complexities of his diplomatic mission."-- "Foreword Reviews"

"Eminently readable and as riveting as a work of fiction." -- "Ha'aretz"

"This exquisitely detailed and rich biography makes a huge contribution not only in bringing to life this extraordinary and complex figure, but also in animating the difficult challenges of the Zionist movement."--A.B. Yehoshua, Israel Prize Laureate

About the Author

Jehuda Reinharz is the Richard Koret Professor of Modern Jewish History at Brandeis University, where he served as President for seventeen years. He is the author and coauthor of more than thirty books in Jewish studies, including The Road to September 1939: Polish Jews, Zionists, and the Yishuv on the Eve of World War II and Zionism and the Creation of a New Society. He is the president and chief executive officer of the Jack, Joseph, and Morton Mandel Foundation. Motti Golani is Ruhama Rosenberg Professor for Jewish History and heads the Chaim Weizmann Institute for the Study of Zionism and Israel at Tel Aviv University. He has authored and coauthored over a dozen books, including Palestine between Politics and Terror, 1945-1947 and Two Sides of the Coin: Independence and Nakba 1948; Two Narratives of the 1948 War and its Outcome.