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“I wish to act for the benefit of the citizens of Israel. I'm a Zionist. … I want to nurture a generation of social individuals who see the needs of others.” These were the words spoken by Dan Shechtman, winner of the 2011 Nobel Prize in chemistry, when announcing his surprise decision to run for president of Israel.
Shechtman, who turns 73 on Jan. 24, announced his candidacy for the presidency on Israeli TV Channel 1's prime-time newsmagazine on the night of Jan. 17, and spoke enthusiastically of his desire to “change things for the better in this country … especially in the fields of education, enlightenment and technological entrepreneurship.”
