The Technion Timeline
Scroll through to see Technion's 100 years of achievements
The Technion’s history begins in 1901, half a century before the establishment of the State of Israel, in the halls of the Stadtcasino Basle, where the Fifth Zionist Congress was held. There, three Jewish intellectuals – the philosopher Martin Buber, the chemist and future president of the country Chaim Weizmann,…Read More
The Relief Organization of German Jews, known as the “Ezra” company, was a non-Zionist German-Jewish organization that operated in the early 20th century to provide philanthropic aid to the Jews of Eastern Europe and Israel and to promote German culture among the Jews outside of Germany. The company was founded…Read More
In 1907, Dr. Paul Nathan, the founder of Ezra, toured the Land of Israel and visited the schools established by the organization. During the visit, he came up with the idea of establishing the “Technicum”, a high school for the study of technical professions. Paul Nathan was the one who…Read More
After thinking for a long time about the location of the establishment of the technical school, Dr. Paul Nathan decided in favor of Haifa (Jerusalem was also on the agenda). At that time, the Turkish government began to invest in the port of Haifa and the railroads that passed through…Read More
The board of trustees of the Technion is also known as the “Curatorium.” Its responsibilities include budgetary decisions, the appointment of senior administrative officials, coordination of the activities of Technion societies in Israel and abroad, oversight, and all in accordance with the Technion’s constitution. The first Curatorium of the Technion…Read More
After a visit to Palestine, American Jewish businessman and philanthropist Jacob Schiff decided to donate one hundred thousand dollars to the Technion. Schiff was then the most prominent Jewish leader in American Jewry. He had several conditions for the contribution: the institution must be objective and free from guiding ideas…Read More
David Wissotzky, son of the founder of the Wissotzky Tea Company, Kalonimus Ze’ev Wissotzky, donated 100,000 rubles from a special fund he established to create an educational institution in memory of his father. This fund was later used for the establishment of the Technion. He committed to donate an additional…Read More
In June 1908, the land purchase deal was signed. After deliberations, an area of 46 dunams was chosen. Ephraim Cohn, the representative of Ezra in Palestine, and Rafael Hakim, one of the most important merchants in Haifa, met with the representative of the Turkish government in a cafe in the…Read More
Prof. Alexander Baerwald was a Jewish-German architect and painter, one of the founders of the Faculty of Architecture at the Technion. Baerwald was one of the pioneers of the new Israeli architecture during the Yishuv period and one of the most influential on the formation of the eclectic style in…Read More
After the donation of the Wissotzky Foundation to the Technion, a fund was opened for the donation of other organizations. The Jewish National Fund participated in the purchase of the land and donated 100,000 francs and was also given representation on the school’s board of directors.
Obtaining the “Ferman” – in 1911, the “Ezra” company, through attorney Asher Malach, was able to obtain the required construction license from the Ottoman government in order to establish the technical school on the slopes of Carmel in Haifa. Transcription of the article in the local newspaper “Shahaf”: An article…Read More
In 1909, Jewish architect Alexander Baerwald was asked to come up with a first plan for the new building. He was inspired by the idea of blending European form with Eastern elements, and despite the hardships of 1912, that year also marks the first cornerstone of Technion, laid in Haifa.…Read More
Following the decision of the Technikum Board of Trustees to teach Hebrew at the Technion for only two hours a week, prior to its official opening, the “Language War” erupted. The Language War swept through all educational institutions in the Jewish community in the Land of Israel between the years…Read More
The Technikum buildings were used by various occupying armies during the war. Initially, they served the Turkish army during World War I, and later the German army. The Technikum buildings functioned as a Turkish-German fortification that was converted into an Ottoman hospital. After the British occupation, the buildings continued to…Read More
In October 1909, the Prussian architect Alexander Baerwald was asked to design the initial plans for the new building. Baerwald, who played the cello in a string quartet with Albert Einstein, was inspired by the idea of combining European forms with Eastern elements. His outstanding design was approved by the…Read More