The Architect of the State of Israel

In May 1962, Technion awarded an honorary doctorate in Architecture to Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion

Acting Technion director Prof. David Ginsburg (right) and David Ben-Gurion. Photographer: Gedalia Enoshi

On May 22, 1962, Technion awarded an honorary doctorate in Architecture to then-Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion. It was the only time Technion ever conferred an honorary degree in Architecture, and it was bestowed on Ben-Gurion “in recognition of and in appreciation for his pioneering activities, his lofty vision and his courage, which granted him a place of honor in the history of our people as the architect and designer of the State of Israel.”

The degree was awarded to Ben-Gurion as part of the annual graduation ceremony, during which degrees were conferred on 556 new Technion graduates.

In his speech at the ceremony, Ben-Gurion thanked Technion for the prestigious degree and said: “I don’t know if the term ‘architect’ is appropriate in the context of planning a country. When planning and constructing a building, one deals with inanimate raw materials that can be shaped by the creator and listen to both the architect and the builder. That isn’t the case for building a country. The essence of a country is neither land nor sovereignty but, rather, its people. The early Hebrews didn’t even have a special name for the sovereign piece of land that today we call ‘country’… The term ‘architect’ does not apply to a people. A people is a live population that has needs, wishes, traits, desires, unique qualities and its own aspirations, and it is not material that can be shaped by its designer.”

The Prime Minister told the new Technion graduates: “Go to the four corners of the country, use your scientific knowledge, and build the country.” He told the Friends of Technion from Israel and around the world: “Advance this institution whose name is Technion so that its faculty members and students will be able to build the State of Israel. Enable Israel to make a sustainable contribution to the cultural and scientific development of humanity. Enable Science, truth and knowledge to flow from this center of learning on Mount Carmel. Transform the city whose name is Technion into a beam of light that emerges from the Israeli horizon.”