The British Technion Society of Great Britain was founded in 1951. Since this was a Cultural organisation only, a British Committee for Technical Development in Israel was established alongside it in 1953. By 1956 the two merged to form the British Technion Committee, and four years later it was reorganised as the British Technion Society. For a long time the emphasis was on scientific and academic contacts between Israel and Britain, with a reluctance to engage in fundraising. Once this reluctance was overcome, the British launched a series of highly successful projects, which enhanced the campus of Technion City and provided great help to the operations of the Institute.
The honour roll of British Technion leadership was impressive: Technion Society of Great Britain, 1951, The Rt. Hon. Lord Silkin, President, Arthur Blok, Chairman; British Committee for Technical Development in Israel, 1953, Sir Louis Sterling, President, I.J. Lindner, Chairman; British Technion Committee, 1956, President, Lord Silkin, Chairman, Sir Michael Sobell, Hon. President, Victor Mishcon; British Technion Society, 1960,Hon. Life President, Sir Isaac Wolfson, Hon. President, Victor Mishcon, President, Lord Silkin, Chairman, Edward E. Rosen. In 1962 Sir Leon Bagrit succeeded Lord Silkin as President. The first Executive Director was Edgar Stern in 1953, who was succeeded by his assistant, Joseph Cohen, in 1957.
The first major gift to the Technion from Great Britain, £100,000 came from the Humanitarian Trust, which had been established by Michel Polak, founder of the Nesher Cement plant in Palestine. The Trust continued Polak’s long-standing support of the Technion for many years, and the Building Research Station on the campus was named for him. Further large gifts were later received from Harry and Abe Sherman, of Cardiff.
Toward the latter part of 1954 the British decided to raise the funds for construction of the campus central auditorium and they sought permission from Winston Churchill to name the building after him. Sir Louis Sterling procured Churchill’s interest and consent. Later, the Senate Building on the campus was named in memory of Sir Louis.
Churchill had previously refused all efforts to involve him in endorsement of various organisations and agencies, but his message of consent in this case was unreserved. “I feel truly honoured that some new buildings of the Israel Institute of Technology are to be named after me, and that my name will be associated with an undertaking devoted to the advancement of knowledge and human well-being”, he wrote. “Israel has no lack of skilful professional men, scientists and artists but those will all their gifts cannot alone solve Israel’s present economic problems. She needs also technicians and craftsmen to build new towns and factories and to bring what is desert under cultivation. I am sure that the Israel Institute of Technology has a great contribution to make to Israel’s future prosperity and that Israel’s prosperity cannot but be of great benefit to other countries, as well.”
A year later his son, Randolph Churchill, laid the cornerstone of the Churchill Auditorium. He wielded the silver trowel and skill, and to the amusement of the audience declared that as a youth he had gained his first experience as a bricklayer under his father’s guidance. Many years later, when he revisited the Technion, he was asked if he remembered the occasion. Remember? He still had the trowel, with its commemorative inscription, he said and made frequent use of it – as a cheese slicer. The Churchill family connection with the British Technion Society continues to the present day with Mr Winston Churchill being its Vice Chairman.
Following in the tradition of his immediate predecessors, Evelyn de Rothschild and Edgar Astair, former treasurer Sidney Corob became Chairman of the British Technion Society in 1983 and led it to new heights of achievement. Fundraising broke all previous records and the results were shown in the construction of such campus facilities as student hostels bearing the names of Kennedy Leigh, Michael and Anna Wix, Simon Heller and Howard Bloch, and the Wolfson Microelectronics Teaching and Research Centre. Countless endowment funds, chairs, academic lectureships and graduate fellowships were all BTS projects.
The public image of the Technion in Britain was considerably enhanced in 1986 when, with the encouragement of the Churchill family, the Society established the Sir Winston Churchill Award, to be conferred upon a person who has shown special leadership and dedicated effort through sustained commitment to strengthening the political, intellectual or scientific and technological future of Israel. The first award was presented in 1987 to Lord Sieff of Brimpton and the second to Lord Wolfson of Marlybone in 1989, both at sparkling affairs held in Blenheim Palace. Mikhail Gorbachev was presented with the award in 1993.
In 1989 Sir Evelyn and Lady de Rothschild were hosts of a ceremony at which the Technion conferred an Honorary Doctorate on the then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher “in recognition of her life-long involvement in passion for science and technology; her exceptional statesmanship in British and world affairs; and in gratitude for her friendship to the State of Israel”. The proceeds of the function made possible the Centre for Computational Chemistry, named after Mrs. Thatcher.
Another outstanding event was the 1996 function at which the Sir Winston Churchill Award was presented to King Hussein of Jordan for “his leadership and dedicated effort, which has made an exceptional contribution to the cause of peace and prosperity in the Middle East”. In his response, the King declared. “The Technion had been a beacon of learning in our region. We are aware of its achievements and contributions and I hope and pray that before long I will have the privilege of visiting with our friends to see for myself and to learn more of what they have achieved.” The substantial funds raised at this event were devoted to support the Joint Water Research Programme in which Jordanian, Palestinian and Israeli scientists were co-operating.
Other projects which came to fruition included the Churchill Family Chair for Education in Science and Technology, a number of dormitory buildings, generous support to aid in the integration of Russian immigrants, the Philip Frame Chair in Material Engineering and sponsorship of scholarships, laboratory facilities and many other undertakings which are listed in the appendices.
In October 2000, Lois Peltz and Michael Heller became Co-Chair and in November 2000 Tony Bernstein was appointed Executive Director, replacing Bill Phillips who retired after 15 years of devoted service. Michael Sorkin continues to be the Treasurer of the Society.