2 Founding Fathers of Weizmann Institute
to Be Honored at National Birthday Tribute
NEW YORK—A birthday dinner,
as a national tribute to Dewey D.
Stone and Harry Levine, for their
major, though differing contribu-
tions to the creation and develop-
ment of the state of Israel and the
Weizmann Institute of Science, will
be held here Dec. 16.
• • •
Weizmann Team
Dates Negev Water
Back to Ice Age '
REHOVOT—Visitors to the Weiz-
mann Institute's isotope research
department can expect a most un-
usual drink: an Ice Age cocktail,
made with vintage water which
fell on the Holy Land some 20,000
years ago.
The age of this water, taken in
250-liter plastic containers from
deep' bore holes in the Negev, has
been determined in the depart-
ment's new carbon-14 dating labora-
tory, established with the aid of a
Ford Foundation grant to Prof.
Joel Gat, as an extension of the
already existing tritium dating
facility.
Prof. Gat is the incumbent of
the Walter P. Reuther Chair for
Research in the Peaceful Uses
of Atomic Energy.
The isotope department's geo-
isotope group now uses a variety
of techniques and isotopes to de-
termine water "ages." With rela
tively "new" water (water which
fell as rain within the past 30
years), the most suitable means
of measurement is tritium, a radio-
active isotope of hydrogen with a
half life of 12 years.
Tritium reacts with oxygen in
the atmosphere to form tritiated
water which then enters the water
cycle and reaches the earth's sur-
face with the precipitation. Sub-
sequent determination of its con-
centration in underground waters
shows the time that has elapsed
since this water was last exposed
to the atmosphere.
For dating "old" water (water
which fell thousands of years ago),
Weizmann Institute scientists now
measure the radioactive carbon-14
in the soluble carbonates in ground-
waters. Thus they have learned,
for example, the great age of many
of the water sources of the south-
ern Negev and the Arava Valley.
This is important practical infor-
mation because it makes quite
clear that such waters cannot be
naturally replenished, except, per-
haps, when the climate again turns
cooler.
Institute scientists are exploiting,
for purposes of arid zone hydrol-
ogy, a tool which already has found
important applications in many
other fields of science, notably in
archeology, following the Nobel
Prize-winning discovery of carbon-
14 in natural materials by Prof.
W. Libby.
But more conventional uses of
the carbon-14 dating method are
not overlooked in the new Welz-
mann Institute laboratory. Dat-
ing of recent carbonate sedi-
ments provides local geologists
with new methods for better un-
derstanding the ways in which
such sediments are formed and
transformed. Dating of organic
and carbonaceous material in
soil and sediments teaches about
the rate of soil formation.
The isotope department labora-
tory also provides Israel's first
facility for dating archeological
and pre-historic finds.
Side by side with flasks of water,
lies sacks of bones taken from
caves in the Carmel range, once
the home of pre-historic man. The
organic material is burned and
the radioactive carbon isotopes in
the ash measured in a special
counter. The lower the radioactiv-
ity, the older the material.
Another example of recently
dated materials are bones from
Qumran, where the famous Dead
Sea Scrolls were found. The re-
sults may help to solve the riddle
of when the scrolls themselves
were written.
Under the auspices of the Amer-
ican Committee for the Weizmann
Institute of Science, the occasion
for the dinner is the 70th birthday
of Stone, since 1944 chairman of
the board of governors of the Weiz-
mann Institute of Science and of
the board of directors of its Amer-
ican Committee; and the 75th
birthday of Levine, a founding
governor of the institute and treas-
urer of its American committee
from its earliest beginnings.
Both having been intimates of
Israel's first president, Dr.
Chaim Weizmann, and confidants
of all the Israel prime ministers,
the birthday dinner party will
mark the completion of 50 years
of dedicated service to Jewish
renascence by Stone and 35
years of similar dedication by
Levine.
They were members of a small,
select group who, working closely
in secrecy with the heads of the
Jewish Agency before statehood,
played signal and decisive roles in
the rescue of the survivors of the
Holocaust.
Stone was the head of operations
in the United States to acquire
boats, including the famed Exodus,
making possible illegal immigra-
tion of Jews into mandated Pales-
tine in the immediate post war
period.
Levine headed the operation in
the United States and Canada to
secure for David Ben-Gurion's
emissaries the knowledge and
equipment needed to set up a small
arms industry for the self-defense
of Palestine Jews against Arab
attack, getting it into mandated
Palestine, without British detec-
tion.
Serving as honorary chairman
of the birthday dinner is Meyer
W. Weisgal, now chancellor of the
Weizmann Institute of Science, - a
close friend, who introduced Stone
and Levine to Dr. Weizmann.
Chairman of the dinner is Stephen
L Stulm an.
The birthday dinner is expected
to attract the participation of
leaders from many parts of the
United States, Europe and Israel.
To mark Stone's birthday on
Aug. 31, the government of Israel,
the Jewish Agency and the Jeru-
salem City Council have named a
school in Jerusalem for him.
Stone has led the mobiliza-
tion of U.S. funds for Israel's
needs, serving successively as
chairman of the United Palestine
Appeal; the United Jewish Ap-
peal, 1955-1963; the United Israel
Appeal, 1960.1968; and the Jew-
ish Agency, Inc. 1960-1968.
The Israel Bond Organization is
the practical expression of an idea
projected by him to Israel's lead-
ers.
He is now chairman of the fi-
nance committee of the United Is-
rael Appeal, member of the execu-
tive committee of the United Jew-
ish Appeal and an honorary chair-
man of the UJA.
A charter member of the Amer-
ican Committee for the Weizmann
Institute of Science, he has served
continuously for the past 25 years
as chairman of its board of direc-
tors.
The Weizmann Institute's ad-
ministration building in Rehovot.
dedicated in 1966, housing the in-
stitute's administrative offices, is
the gift of Anne and Dewey D.
Stone and bears their names. In
1960, the Weizmann Institute nam-
ed him an honorary fellow.
In 1940, after 20 years of service
in the Zionist movement in the
United States, he was catapulted
into the main stream of interna-
tional events that were to bring
about Jewish statehood; and the
establishment and growth of the
Weizmann Institute of Science into
one of the world's greatest scienti-
fic institutions and as an arm of
Israel's survival and development.
Born in Brockton, Mass., one of
nine children of immigrant par-
ents, he was educated in the pub-
lic schools of Brockton and at
Boston University, from whose
school of business administration
he received a BBA degree. In 1923'
TIE DETROIT JEW= MK
frlder, Newordper 13, 13711-37
he married his high school sweet-
heart, Anne Abrams, who has been
his closest companion in all his
endeavors.
In 1947, the Dewey D. and
Harry K. Stone Science Build-
ing was established at Boston
University. The building repre-
sents appreciation for the hos-
pitality given by this Methodist
university to Jewish students,
who constitute a substantial per-
centage of the student body. Ori-
ginally intended to be the gift of
the Jewish community, when
community subscription lagged,
the obligation for the building
HARRY LEVINE
DEWEY D. STONE
was assumed and paid off by
Stone and his brother Judge in International Scientific Coopera- bins, in 1937, Levine founded
Harry K. Stone, now deceased.
Camp Young Judea. Today, the
tion at the institute.
Stone is an elected member of
Levine came to Zionism in 1935, camp serves 300 young people
Boston University's board of trus- influenced by the late Eliahu D. every summer. Many of its 6,000
tees. In 1950, he was awarded the Stone and Justice Louis D. Bran- campers have settled in Israel;
university's honorary degree of deis, and his commitment to its others are active in Jewish af-
doctor of humanities. In 1969, on goals has remained total. In 1945, fairs in the U.S.
As a stimulus to education on
the occasion of its 100th anniver- he served as national treasurer of
sary, Stone and his brother were the Zionist Organization of Amer- the history of the Jewish people,
Levine
organized the Pageant for
ica.
-
named associate founders of Bos-
Since 1966, he has served as a Freedom Diorama. Depicting 35 of
ton University, which has three
the
most
important events in Jew-
member
of
the
board
of
overseers
founders and nine associate foun-
of the Philip W. Lown Graduate ish history, the diorama, consist-
ders in all.
ing
of
84,000
individual pieces, has
Center
for
Contemporary
Jewish
In 1958, Stonehall College recog-
nized Stone's contribution to the Studies at Brandeis University. In traveled the United States on tour
and
is
now
on
permanent exhibit
Catholic community by awarding 1965, he contributed the Harry and
him the honorary degree of doctor Leona Levine Wing to the math- in Jerusalem.
Levine was co-founder of Zionist
of laws. He is an incorporator and ematics — chemistry building of
House in Boston; founder and first
trustee of the Cardinal Cushing Brandeis University.
In 1937, he accepted the chal- president of. the Zionist Chest in
General Hospital in Brockton.
Stone aiso is a trustee of the Tru- lenge of Justice Brandeis to or- New England; and president of
man Library in Independence, Mo. ganize youth activities through- the Fitchburg-Leominster Zionist
Levine, born in New York Aug. out the New England area and District. He is an honorary life
1, 1895, was educated in the public also to start a summer camp trustee of the Combined Jewish
schools of New York and at City with programs directed by the Philanthropies of Greater Boston,
ZOA. Together with his brother and in 1969, received the Bnai Brith
College.
In the crucial postwar years of Louis Levine and Morton Rob- Man of the Year Award.
1945-1948, he played a singular
and decisive role, at the behest of
David Ben-Gurion, in the task of
seeking in the United States and
A Professional
Canada, the knowledge and equip-
ment, including war surpluses, for
Reading Service
setting up a small arms industry
for students
in Palestine to arm the Jewish
community for self defense against
with difficulties
Arab attack and the anticipated
in reading and
war on Jewish statehood.
To this day, much of the ma-
other subjects
chinery assembled in the course of
this assignment is still being used
call Northland Reading Clinic
in Israel to produce some of its
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hardware. The dramatic story of
this undertaking and Levine's key
role in it is told in the newly pub-
lished book, "The Pledge," by
EXPECTING OUT OF TOWN GUESTS
Leonard Slater. Levine's wife
FOR A WEDDING OR A BAR MITZVA ?
Leona during the postwar period
served as a sometime courier,
bringing messages to Ben-Gurion
from leaders abroad that could not
otherwise have escaped detection.
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A charter member of the Amer-
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ican Committee for the Weiz-
mann Institute of Science and
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its treasurer since 1944, he is one
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of an original group of 13, which
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included Stone, who, years be-
fore Jewish statehood, grasped
Dr. Chaim Weizmann's vision of
the potential of science to en-
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large the resources of Palestine. 1111 MUM
From their support, subsequent-
ly enlarged, emerged the Weiz-
mann Institute of Science in 1944.
Oct. 15, 16, 17
In 1966, the Weizmann Institute
named him an honorary fellow.
•
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The deepest influence of his pub-
lic life has been Dr. Weizmann,
with whom he enjoyed an intimate
friendship from their meeting until
Dr. Weizmann's death in 1952.
In 1959, Levine helped to estab-
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lish the Yeda Research and Devel- Imr
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opment Co., on whose board he
serves, and whose purpose is to
convert Weizmann Institute re-
I
search potentials into industrial a
use for the benefit both of the in-
stitute and of the state of Israel.
Two years later, Levine estab-
lished at the Weizmann Institute
the Harry and Leona Levine Insti- til
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tute of Applied Science. In more
recent years, he has helped in the
establishment and development,
through Yeda's Science Based In-
dustries Corp., of an industrial
park adjacent to the institute,
9 Mile at Coolidge, Oak Park
where some dozen science-oriented
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industries are now based, with ad-
ditional participation anticipated.
12 1/2 Mile at Southfield, Korvette Center
Committed to the belief that
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science has a major role to per-
form in achieving peace, Levine
this
established the Abba Eban Chair
Northland Reading Clinic
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