Weizmann House Weizmann House The Weizmann House () was the home of the first President of Israel, Chaim Weizmann, and first First Lady, Vera Weizmann. The house sits atop a hill in Rehovot, and is now part of the Weizmann Institute of Science. The house was designed by Jewish architect Erich Mendelsohn, and recognized as a masterpiece. In 1934 Chaim Weizmann, who was then living in England, asked Mendelsohn to plan his house in Israel— after hearing of Mendelsohn's project for Salman Schocken's house in Jerusalem. The design process was extensive and created a complicated relationship between Weizmann and Mendelsohn. Weizmann required
Chaim Weizmann in his autobiography that the failure of the international Zionist movement (between the wars) to encourage all Jews to act decisively and efficiently in great enough numbers to migrate to the Jerusalem area was the real cause for the call for a Partition deal. A deal on Partition was first formally mentioned in 1936 but not finally implemented until 1948. Again, Weizmann blamed the Zionist movement for not being adequate during the best years of the British Mandate. At the outbreak of war in Europe in 1939, Weizmann was appointed as an Honorary adviser to the British Ministry of Supply,