Prof. Abraham Patchornik (Patcho) passed away at the age of 88, in his hometown of Ness Ziona. He was a brilliant chemist, who enjoyed an international reputation as a leader in the fields of bioorganic chemistry and photochemistry, as well as being an innovator in the use of functional polymers as chemical reagents. Abraham was born in Ness Ziona, the great-grandson of Reuben Lehrer (a.k.a. Reuven Zangvil Patchornik), who in 1883 became a legend when he purchased and built, the settlement of “Nachalat Reuven” in Wadi Hanin, a settlement that went on to become the town of Ness Ziona. As a member of a family that was primarily involved in various branches of agriculture, Abraham started out as a young worker on the family farm—the accepted and expected path at that time. At a young age he was already asking questions and investigating his environment, arriving at early solutions to typical problems on the farm. It was here that he realized his love of science in general and of chemistry in particular. There was no high school at that time in Ness Ziona, so he was forced to travel to the “Gymnasia Re’alit” in Rishon LeZion—a long distance in those days. When he began studying chemistry, he set up a small laboratory for himself at home where he could conduct his many experiments undisturbed. His path to studying chemistry at the Hebrew University was not an easy one; the Gymnasia he had graduated from was not recognized by the Department of Education of the Jewish National Council (this was before the establishment of the State of Israel), and
