In Memorium - Prof. David Weiss RIP

The members of the Lautenberg Center deeply mourn the passing of Prof. David Weiss, who died on July 12, 2016.

David Weiss was born in Austria in 1927. In 1939, he immigrated with his family to the United States, a short time before World War Two broke out. He received his higher education in New York and was trained as a bacteriologist and immunologist at the Rockefeller Institute and Oxford University. In 1957, he moved to the University of Berkeley where he was appointed Assistant Professor and promoted to Full Professor of Immunology. In 1966, David made Aliyah to Israel and was appointed Professor of Immunology at the Hebrew University.

Shortly thereafter, David established the Lautenberg Center for General and Tumor Immunology and served as its first Director until 1996. Over all these years, David recruited resources and personnel to the Center and structured it to be a cutting edge leading institution for research and teaching. Among his many accomplishments are the establishment of the Lautenberg Center Endowment Fund, the Rabbi Shai Shacknai Lectureship Fund and the annual scientific retreats of the Center. David was a leading scientist in the arena of cancer immunology and immunotherapy with more than 200 publications in scientific journals and books. He also authored two popular books: Wings of the Dove and Reluctant Return, telling his amazing personal story as a European Jew fleeing the Nazis in the 1930’s and making his way to Aliyah and to becoming a prominent Hebrew University professor with many scientific and personal accomplishments.

David Weiss shall be remembered as a great researcher, teacher, writer and speaker who left an unforgettable signature on the quality of science performed by Lautenberg Center members.

 

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