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WEIZMANN INSTITUTE
A Great President Must Raise
Money to Fund His Programs
Story and Photos by TIM BOXER
 EFF
GREENFIELD was incredulous. “A gala? A celebration? Hey, bombs
are falling!” On the
day the U.S. began bombing the Taliban bases in Afghanistan,
Greenfield, the CNN political analyst, was at New York’s
Waldorf-Astoria to emcee a national gala of the American Committee
for the Weizmann Institute of Science.
“Yes,” Greenfield said. “Weizmann is not
only to be supported but to be celebrated.”
He said New York, after the World Trade Center
attack, should learn from Israel. People there have been living with
terror for many years, but they don’t cower behind closed doors.
They go about their normal life.
“If you’ve driven in taxis with Israeli
drivers, then you may know the meaning of fear – but they
don’t.”
The guest of honor at the dinner was Prof. Haim
Harari who was retiring next month after 13 years as president.
Committee chairman Robert Asher praised
Harari’s ability as a fund-raiser.
Before the dinner, Harari was in the men’s
room where he saw someone he recently met. The man turned to his
friend and said, “Meet Prof. Harari. He came to my office and it
was a very expensive visit.”
In fact Harari’s fund-raising abilities were
noticed two days before at a seminar at Rockefeller University.
Harari related that when he became president,
Weizmann was $40 million in the red. Nevertheless, he decided to
build a new state-of-the-art semi-conductor research center. It
would cost $16 million.
He went to Chicago where a man, who had never
been to Weizmann, had left $7 million to the institute. The man was
in a coma, and expected to die in 24 hours.
“I never found out why he left us that
money,” Harari said. “But that’s how you become a successful
fund-raiser.”
During his tenure at the helm of the Weizmann
Institute, Harari raised $1 billion.
“He makes me envious,” remarked Dr. Arnold
Levine, Rockefeller University president.
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