IN MEMORIAM - Solo Dwek

Longtime Weizmann supporter and International Board Life Member Solo Dwek sadly passed away in April 2024 at the age of 94. A leading philanthropist and distinguished businessman and entrepreneur, Solo Dwek was a treasured friend of the Weizmann Institute of Science. His guidance and gifts benefitted the Institute in so many ways, and will continue to do so for years to come—emblematic of the outsized impact of the entire Dwek family, whose philanthropy and dedication to the Institute can be felt on nearly every corner of the campus.

In 2009, Solo received the Weizmann Institute’s PhD honoris causa degree in recognition of his visionary support and tremendous leadership roles. He joined the International Board in 2011 and was elected a Life Member in 2014. At the 2022 Global Gathering in Zürich, he was inducted into the Institute’s prestigious President’s Circle.

Solo was born in Beirut to a prominent Sephardic Jewish family. In 1948, as attitudes toward local Jews became increasingly politicized during Israel’s War of Independence, the family left Lebanon for France. Solo and his younger brother Maurice (Maurizio) z”l attended boarding school in Lausanne, after which Solo studied engineering in France, before moving to Japan to oversee the family trade business. In 1963, Solo moved with his family—wife Jeannette and their two children, Marco and Claudia—to Italy, where he and Maurizio founded the Milan-based finance company Fineurop. The close-knit brothers went on to collaborate on a variety of successful financial initiatives with major international corporations, such as Fiat and IMI Bank.

Alongside his distinguished professional career, Solo was a passionate and devoted supporter of the State of Israel. Indeed, the entire Dwek family are cherished friends and champions of the Weizmann Institute, generously donating to a variety of research areas across campus.

In 1999, Solo and Maurice funded the construction of the Dwek Campus Center and established a fund for biomedical and fertility research. In 2008, the family endowed the Solo Dwek and Maurizio Dwek Research School of Chemical Science at the Institute’s Feinberg Graduate School, and in 2017 established the Dwek Institute for Cancer Therapy Research of the Moross Integrated Cancer Center. Solo was also a dedicated supporter of the Institute’s activities in Europe, particularly the collaborative research program with the Mario Negri Institute for Pharmacological Research in Milan, Italy.

Many other institutions in Israel are also fortunate to have benefitted from Solo and his family’s inspiring philanthropy, including Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center and the Israel Museum.

Prof. Yosef Yarden, Director of the Dwek Institute for Cancer Therapy Research, worked closely with Solo. He recalls: “When establishing the Dwek Institute, Solo foresaw a vibrant group of scientists who shared the dream of making cancer curable. An important part of this foresight was the opportunity to excite enthusiastic young scholars with this idea. Solo well understood that the campaign to make a safe and effective anti-cancer drug must be preceded by tedious and laborious assays, and he definitely had the patience and the generosity needed to endure the countless futile attempts that inevitably accompany the extremely rare successes.”

“I will desperately miss Solo’s vision, patience, and guidance, but look forward to working together with [family members] Marco, Claudia, Julian, and Edward to transform Solo’s dream into reality,” Prof. Yarden adds.

Weizmann President Prof. Alon Chen fondly recalls meeting with Solo following the 2022 Global Gathering: “I had the pleasure of being hosted by Solo at his home in Milan and learning from him about the Dwek family’s longstanding friendship with the Weizmann Institute. In addition to recounting the family’s unique history and connection to Weizmann, Solo guided me with invaluable advice on ways to strengthen philanthropic support for basic research at the Institute. I will forever cherish this meeting and Solo’s words of wisdom.”