DeShalit of Weizmann Institute Dies at 42

It is our sad task to report that Amos deShalit died of acute pancreatitis on 2 Sept. at the age of 42. His untimely passing is a great loss to his family, to the world of physics, to his institute and country and to the entire world. A brilliant physicist, deShalit was one of the very few who are at home with both experiment and theory. He was a brilliant administrator; while he was head (1954-66), the nuclear physics department at the Weizmann Institute, Rehovoth (Israel) developed into a leading center for the study of nuclear and particle physics, rivaled in its impact by only a handful of other institutions. He was a brilliant educator; since 1963 he had been actively involved in improving science education in Israel, particularly in the secondary schools. This activity was recently made formal by the creation at Weizmann of a department of science teaching that was headed by deShalit. Deeply committed to his country, he was much concerned with the problems of the Arab population.