History of the Hebrew University (II)

The contribution of the Hebrew University to the security of the State of Israel during and after the War of Independence (HEMED)  the respect of other nations and universities for the high standard of research and teaching in the biological sciences at Hebrew University. About 20 years ago, Ephraim Katzir asked Bachrah to write the story of HEMED and what happened at the beginning including the enormous contribution of young boys. He published the first book in 2009 and then translated it into an English edition entitled The Power of Knowledge - HEMED, the Israeli Science Corps. President Peres awarded him a prize. He is the only one who is still alive from that period; it is his duty to transmit this information to younger people who are not aware of how precarious Israel's fate was between 1947-1949. ; Bachrach was born in Heilbronn, Germany in 1926. In 1933, his family left Germany and settled in Petach Tikva. He was a member of the Haganah from age 14 and joined the Jewish Settlement Police in 1944. He was one of the founders, in 1948, of Hemed, the Scientific Corps of the Israel Defense Forces. After the War of Independence, Professor Bachrach was a professor of microbiology at Hebrew University for more than 60 years. ; Part 1 -The War of Independence - contributions of the Hebrew University On February 1 1948, while a student at HU, he was asked to join a secret group of scientists started by Katzir, at Ben Gurion's request, to prepare chemical warfare at the university. This group evolved into the Hemed unit. He speaks about for example, the invention of helmets with infrared lamps to distinguish Israeli soldiers from their enemies, aerial rockets and sea- to-sea missiles. In addition to personnel at HU, technicians were recruited from Kibbutzim to help produce bombs. The laboratories and equipment on Mount Scopus played an important role in saving Jerusalem during the siege. The Hemed Brigade also engaged in the fighting and conquered an Egyptian police station which helped secure the Negev. They used a large cannon with 45 kg shells with a hollow charge which caused a lot of damage.He says that Yitzhak Rabin did not believe in science and preferred to buy all the weapons abroad. Ernst David Bergmann, convinced Ben-Gurion, in 1949, that Israel needed nuclear energy for military and peaceful purposes. Bachrach was part of an expedition to look for minerals in the Negev and Sinai. They found uranium and this led to the beginning of nuclear energy in Israel and the founding of the Dimona Research Centre. Hemed was disbanded in 1951 and its activities were transferred to the Ministry of Defense. HEMED was the predecessor of: Rafael - Chemical Part; produces missiles  Biological Institute in Ness Ziona - Biological part  Atomic Energy Commission. ; PART 2 - Role of the Hebrew University: He cites examples of interactions with China including an agreement between HU and the Chinese Academy of Science which he signed. This emphasizes how much the Hebrew University is respected by Eastern countries. The Medical School of the Hebrew University gained respect from various countries based on the high quality of research and teaching, mainly in tropical medicine. There have also been interactions with Dubai, and Ethiopia (where he helped open a medical school in the 1970s). Visiting scientists from many countries have worked in his laboratory and then became important advocates for Israel when they returned to their countries.