The SARAF accelerator building at the Soreq Nuclear Research Center stands as a structural tribute to the scientific legacy of Amnon Pazy. A specialist in partial differential equations and semigroups, his career spanned foundational research in nuclear physics, pivotal academic administration at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and the strategic expansion of the Israeli higher education system.
Scientific Beginnings and Nuclear Research
Born in Haifa in 1936, Pazy spent his youth in Kiryat Bialik and Kiryat Motzkin. During his early years, he demonstrated athletic talent as the Israeli youth champion in the 60-meter run and long jump. He began his higher education at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem through the Atuda program. Following his studies, he joined the team developing Israel's nuclear infrastructure. In 1958, he moved to Paris for training, later working for the French Atomic Energy Commission. Upon returning to Israel in 1961, he contributed to the Nuclear Research Center in Dimona, concluding his service there in 1963 when the reactor reached criticality.
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Pazy pivoted back to pure mathematics, completing his doctoral studies under Professor Shmuel Agmon. He held assistant professorships at Stanford University and New York University before returning to the Einstein Institute of Mathematics at the Hebrew University in 1969. While on sabbatical at the University of Maryland in 1973, he authored a text on partial differential equations and semigroups that became a standard reference. Beyond his own research, he contributed significantly to academic infrastructure, serving as editor-in-chief of the Israel Journal of Mathematics from 1972 to 1977.
Academic Administration and Policy
In 1986, following a period of financial instability, Pazy was elected president of the Hebrew University. He implemented recovery measures that restored the institution to equilibrium by 1990. During his earlier tenure as rector, he facilitated the establishment of the Koret School of Veterinary Medicine and the Jerusalem Botanical Garden. In 1991, he became chairman of the Planning and Budgeting Committee of the Council for Higher Education. Anticipating demographic growth, he orchestrated the development of regional academic colleges to improve accessibility and professional training, an initiative codified by government decision in 1994.
Public Affairs and Later Life
Pazy maintained an active presence in public policy, serving on boards for the Jerusalem Foundation and the National Institute for Testing and Evaluation. He co-founded the Center for the Development of Higher Education in Germany and served as an Israeli delegate to PUGWASH between 1985 and 2005. Later in his career, he identified an impending shortage of physicians and chaired a committee to authorize a new medical school. He died in 2006 and was buried at Har HaMenuchot.
Fast facts
- Born: 1936, Haifa, Israel
- Died: 2006
- Primary Field: Partial Differential Equations
- Academic Base: Hebrew University of Jerusalem
- Public Role: Chairman, Planning and Budgeting Committee, 1991–1997
- Notable Recognition: Solomon Bublick Award, 2002
- Burial Site: Har HaMenuchot
Questions readers ask
What was Pazy's role in the expansion of Israeli colleges?
He initiated a 1993 plan to establish regional academic colleges to meet rising student demand and lower tuition, which the government adopted in 1994.
Did Pazy hold honorary degrees?
Yes, he was an Honorary Fellow of the Open University of Israel and received an honorary doctorate from the Technion in 2006.
Achievements
- Fields: mathematics
