Uri Wurzburger was born in 1932 in Mannheim Germany to Yitzchak Aryeh (Sigmund, Leopold) (1891-1953) and Miriam (Mira) nee Mayer (1899-1986). His father was born in Bad Rappenau a town in the South of Germany. His paternal grandfather, Yosef (1861-1939) the son of Uri Shraga was born in Bad Rappenau. The grandfather worked in the metal trade. His wife, Keila (Carolina), (1863-1942) the daughter of Michael Lehman helped with the family income. The family moved to Mannheim in 1913. The father, Yitzchak Aryeh served in the censorship of the German Army between the years 1916-1918. Miriam, the mother, the daughter of Shimon Aryeh (1855-1915), the son of Yaacov Dov Halevy and Reila Regina (1861-1932), the daughter of Avraham Halevy nee Meyer were born in the town of Truchtlingen in Bavaria. The family owned a wholesale warehouse for food products. Uri's mother worked as a secretary in the family business between the years 1914-1928. Yitzchak Aryeh (Sigmund) and Miriam (Mira) were married in Nurnberg in October 1928. They had two sons: Shimon (1929) and Uri (1932). In 1935, after Hitler's rise to power, the father travelled to the Land of Israel to look into the possibility of moving there. However upon his return to Germany he had a heart attack and the idea was put on hold. In 1938 after many attempts to receive a 'Certificate' the family moved to the Land of Israel and settled in Tel Aviv on 179 Dizengoff Street. The child, Uri, arrived in Israel at the age of 6 and began learning at the 'Moriah' Elementary School. His father died when he was 11 years old. He continued his high school studies in the Religious City School (today Zeitlin School) in Tel Aviv (1947-1950). In his youth he was a member of the 'Ezra' Youth Movement. During the years 1950-1952 he served in the IDF, in the second course of the Nahal, in Kibbutz Saad, with a group from Bnei Akiva. During his army service he worked as a youth counselor, in building and in the fields. At the end of his service he moved to Jerusalem to study in the University. He studied geology, mineralogy and geography at the Hebrew University (1952-1958) and has a second degree in mineralogy from London University (1966-1967). In 1957 he married Michal Goldschmidt (1932-2003), who was born in Leipzig, Germany. The first years of their married life they lived in Kibbutz Saad. In 1961 they moved to Jerusalem. They had 4 children: Yael Ansbacher (1958), Rachel Meir (1961), Efrat Mor-Yosef (1964), and Yitzchak Aryeh (Arik) (1966). Uri served as Head of the Mineral Resources Division in the Geological Survey (1959-1970). In this capacity he also worked on jobs abroad including as a UN expert in Turkey. He was the CEO of the copper mines in Timna (1970-1976) and afterwards as a deputy CEO for Israel Chemicals Ltd. He founded and directed the Research Department for Earth Sciences in the Ministry of Energy, on loan from Israel Chemicals Ltd. (1977-1979). He served as a Board member in the Petroleum Services Ltd.; The National Petroleum Company Ltd.; and the Oil Exploration Ltd. He was the CEO of Rotem Fertilizers (1979-1981), CEO of the Mediterranean Sea - Dead Sea Company (Red Sea–Dead Sea Conveyance) and a member of the Board of Directors of Israel Chemical Ltd. (1981-1985), Senior Deputy CEO in Israel Chemicals Ltd. (1985-1990) and in this capacity served as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Cables of Zion Ltd., Tovala Factories Ltd., Negev Ceramics Ltd., Member of the Ports and Railways Authority, Board of Directors of Negev Phosphates Ltd. and Rotem Fertilizers Ltd. and Chairman of the Oil Law Committee of the Ministry of Energy . He served as Director General of the Ministry of Energy (1990-1992). After returning to Israel Chemicals Ltd., he served as a Board member of the Dead Sea Works Ltd., Dead Sea Bromine Ltd., Bromine Compounds Ltd and Chairman of Desalination Engineering Ltd. In addition he served as Chairman of the Board of the Institute of Petroleum Research and Geophysics. In 1993 he was appointed CEO of the Tefachot Mortgage Bank until his retirement in 1998. He is a member of the Geological Society where he served as President in 1968; a member of the Board of Governors and the Board of Directors of Yad Ben-Zvi (1998-2010) and the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Israeli Center for Legal Guardianship (1998-2009). He was a member of the Board of Governors of the Jerusalem College of Technology – Lev Academic Center (JCT). He is the head of the Board of Directors since 2007. He was a member of the Board of Governors of YH Dimri Building Company (2004-2010). In 2003 his wife Michal, to whom he was married for 47 years, passed away. Two years after her death he married Tirza nee Stern (1942), whom he knew from childhood and who was a family friend for many years. After his retirement he worked on translating a monumental work, "Biblical and Talmudic Medicine", written by Dr. Itzchak (Julius) Preuss, in German. It was first published in 1911. The Hebrew edition, published by Magness Press, came out in 2012. In this album you get a glimpse into Wurzburger family photographs in Germany and in Israel along with landscapes and sites throughout the country taken when he toured around the country doing research and for his work, as well as his participation in the peace talks that took place in Washington. The complete life story of Uri Wurzburger can be read in his book, The Life Story: Chapters From My Life- Memoirs From the First Eighty Years 5692- 5772 (1932-2012), Family Edition (5775) 2015.
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