Reuben R. Hecht

Background

Reuben Hecht was born on the 15th of August, 1909. His parents were Jacob and Ella Hecht. Jacob Hecht and his brother Herman founded the Neptun Rhenania shipping company. When Reuben was nine, the family moved to Basel, Switzerland.

Education

Reuben Hecht spent early years of schooling in Antwerp, Frankfurt am Main. He studied at the University of Heidelberg, receiving his doctorate in political science in 1933 and graduated with the degree of "Diplom-Volkswirt" - equivalent to M.A. - in 1931 and Dr. rer. pol. (magna cum laude) - equivalent to Ph.D. in Political Science. Areas of special studies, apart from Political Science and Economics, were Law, Archaeology, History of Art,the Arts and Humanities, Ancient History, Natural Sciences, Theater and Journalism.

Career

Hecht was engaged in transport and shipping before emigrating to Ereẓ Israel in 1936. An active Revisionist from his student days, Hecht cooperated with Ze'ev Jabotinsky during his stay in Paris in 1933–34, joined the Irgun Ẓeva'i Le'ummi, and was sent by David Raziel to Europe in 1939 to organize "illegal" immigration. After World War II he joined the family shipping combine, Neptun-Rhenania, of which he was president from 1963 to 1970. In Israel he obtained the first concession granted in the state for the erection of port grain silos and in 1951 established the Dagon Silo Company in Haifa. Among his other activities are the foundation of the Shikmona publishing company and the unique Dagon Archaeological Museum.Hecht was a principal aide to Prime Minister Menachem Begin at the Camp David peace talks and attended other meetings with Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, Anwar Sadat and Margaret Thatcher.He also worked as an Israeli Ambassador.

Achievements

• After the establishment of the State of Israel, Hecht won an exclusive concession to build grain storage silos in Haifa and Ashdod.
  
  In 1970 he became Honorary Citizen of Haifa.
  
  Hecht established the Hecht Museum at Haifa University to house his collections of archeological artifacts and 19th-century paintings.

Religion

Hecht became interested in Zionism after reading materials published by the Centralverein deutscher Staatsbürger jüdischen Glaubens encouraging Jewish assimilation.

Politics

An active Revisionist Hecht joined the Irgun Ẓeva'i Le'ummi, and was sent by David Raziel to Europe in 1939 to organize "illegal" immigration.In 1941 he escaped with his wife from German-occupied Yugoslavia to Switzerland, where he intensively continued his political and rescue work as representative of the Irgun and the Hebrew Committee of National Liberation.

Membership

Hecht served on numerous governmental, civic, cultural, and educational bodies, including membership in the Archaeological Council attached to the Ministry of Education and Culture, the International Council of Museums, Paris, the Bezalel Academy, the Israel Museum and the Israel Board of the American-Israel Cultural Foundation, of whose subcommittee for art, archaeology, and museums he was chairman until 1976. He was among the founders of Haifa University and a member in its board from 1971 until the day he died. In 1981 he established the Hecht Museum, located inside the university, and donated his private collections.

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  Board of Governors of Technion Haifa , Israel

  1963 - 1993

• 

  Board of Governors of Haifa University , Israel

  1971 - 1993

• 

  International Board of Governours of Israel Museum , Israel

  1965 - 1993

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  Council for Archaeology of Weizmann Institute , Israel

  1972 - 1993

• Board of Societe Suisse a Haifa , Israel

  1958 - 1993

• 

  Israel Board of the America-Israel Cultural Foundation , Israel

  1961 - 1976

• Museum's Council sponsored by the Ministry of Education and Culture , Israel

  1983 - 1986

Connections

He was married.

Father:

Jacob Hecht

Jacob Hecht and his brother Herman founded the Neptun Rhenania shipping company.

Mother:

Ella Hecht

Spouse:

Edith Zilzer

References

• Reuben Hecht: Vision and fulfillment by Moshe Shamir
  1995