The Technion Mourns Mr. Zohar Zisapel

The Technion mourns the passing of Mr. Zohar Zisapel, graduate of the Andrew and Erna Viterbi Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and one of the pillars of the Israeli Start-Up Nation. Recipient of the Israel Defense Prize, Technion Honorary Doctorate and Technion Medal, Mr. Zisapel was a true friend of the Technion and one of its greatest and most dedicated supporters through the years.

Receiving Technion Honorary Doctorate, 2001

Technion President Prof. Uri Sivan said: “Zohar was a true friend of the Andrew and his Alma Mater, the Erna Viterbi Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering. His vision, his innovation and entrepreneurial spirit, as well as his deep social commitment, made him, together with his brother Yehuda, who is also a graduate of the same faculty, a source of pride for us and an inspirational model for all Technion graduates. Zohar was among the rare people who envisioned the future and then made it a reality. His pioneering endeavors, in which he saw the Technion as a true partner, contributed immensely to the development of Israel’s high-tech industries. He and his brother recognized early on the technological potential of nanotechnology and helped establish the Sara and Moshe Zisapel Nanoelectronics Center in the Technion, the first of its kind in Israel. This center, together with the Russel Berrie Nanotechnology Institute (RBNI) sparked the Israeli nanotech revolution. The new building of the Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering, which will carry the names of Zohar and Yehuda Zisapel, will perpetuate their vision, and enable the continued growth of the faculty, the recruitment of leading faculty members and the nourishing of the next generation of Israeli engineers. We are grateful to Zohar and to his family for their support, partnership, and steadfast friendship. May his memory be a blessing.”

Inauguration of the Yehuda and Zohar Zisapel Electrical and Computer Engineering building, 2022

“The Andrew and Erna Viterbi Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering grieves the untimely passing of its graduate and friend, Mr. Zohar Zisapel Z”L,” said Faculty Dean Professor Idit Keidar. “He was one of the faculty’s most prominent graduates, a man of vision and a pillar of Israeli high-tech industry. His and his brother’s generosity enabled the faculty’s growth for years to come. May his memory be a blessing.”

In 2001 the Technion awarded Mr. Zohar Zisapel an honorary doctorate, “in appreciation for his long-standing affinity and manifold contribution to the Technion as one of its outstanding graduates, in acknowledgement of his leadership and pioneering endeavors for the development of Israel’s high-technology industries, and in recognition of his remarkable conviction and unfailing commitment to attain economic stability and prosperity for the State of Israel.”

Cornerstone laying. L-R: Prof. Peretz Lavie, Mr. Yehuda Zisapel, Mr. Zohar Zisapel, Prof. Uri Sivan

Recognizing the future importance of the field of nanotechnology, the cornerstone of the Sara and Moshe Zisapel Nanoelectronics Center, named after Zohar and Yehuda’s parents, was laid in 2003. Prof. Uri Sivan, who was then the head of the Russel Berrie Nanotechnology Institute, said at the inauguration event that “the center will boost Technion research in this field for decades to come.” At the same event, the 9^th President of Israel, Mr. Shimon Peres Z”L said, “my mentor, Ben Gurion, said that all experts are experts in what has already come to pass, but there are no experts in what’s to come. Zohar and Yehuda are just that – experts in what the future holds.”

In 2019, the Zisapel brothers made a large donation to the construction of the new Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering building, to be named in their honor. At the laying of the cornerstone, Zohar Zisapel said “when we studied here, there were discussions in the faculty over whether it should focus on electricity or electronics. But today, I understand that you must focus on both, and also be open to many other areas. The Technion always knew how to respond to the needs of the industry and it’s important that it continues to stay up to date and enter areas that are expected to develop in the future.” At the building’s inauguration ceremony last year, he said “about 50 years ago we applied to the Technion because it was the best engineering school in Israel, and really the only engineering school in Israel. It remains to maintain the Technion’s leading status, and we are happy that we can contribute to that.”

Laying the cornerstone for the Sara and Moshe Zisapel Nanoelectronics Center, 2003

Last year, the Technion Medal was awarded to Zohar and to his brother Yehuda. This is the highest honor given by the Technion in recognition of a lifetime’s work dedicated to the Technion, and for contributing to the advancement of humanity, to the welfare of the Jewish people, and to the State of Israel. The Medal has only been awarded to 16 outstanding individuals so far. The medal was awarded to Zohar Zisapel “for being one of the pillars of the Startup Nation and an outstanding role model among generations of Technion alumni. For his generous and devoted support of the Technion and his alma mater, the Andrew and Erna Viterbi Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering. For his educational, social, and philanthropic activities, focused on cultivating young people from the periphery and promoting excellence in Israeli education. For his vision and endeavors laying the foundations for training the utmost engineers and researchers in the Israeli high-tech industry, which requires supreme human capital to ensure its continued prosperity.”