Former Israel Meteorological Service Director Zvi Alferson Dies at 92
Translated & summarized from Kipa by baba
Zvi Alferson, former Director of the Israel Meteorological Service and a Holocaust survivor, has died at age 92. He led the service for a decade, significantly contributing to forecasting advancements and international cooperation.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Zvi Alferson, former Director of the Israel Meteorological Service, died at 92.
- He led the service from 1992 to 2002.
- Alferson was a Holocaust survivor who immigrated to Israel in 1948.
- He played a key role in developing forecasting models.
- He also expanded the service's international engagement.
Zvi Alferson, who served as the Director of the Israel Meteorological Service from 1992 to 2002, passed away this week at the age of 92. The Meteorological Service eulogized Alferson on its official page, noting his birth in Poland in 1934. He survived the Holocaust as a child and adolescent before immigrating to Israel in 1948 with his family after spending time in displaced persons camps.
Alferson's career in meteorology began during his military service as a weather observer in the Air Force. He completed a forecasters' course in 1957 and went on to study mathematics, physics, and meteorology at the Hebrew University, graduating in 1962. He then joined the Meteorological Service, working in numerical forecasting, a field then in its early stages.
During his tenure, Alferson advanced through the ranks, contributing to the development of forecasting models and algorithms. He managed the computer and forecasting unit before being appointed Director in 1992. In this role, which he held for about a decade, he promoted the use of advanced models to improve weather predictions. He also expanded the service's international activities and was elected to the executive council of the World Meteorological Organization.
Even after his retirement, Alferson remained involved with the Meteorological Service, assisting his successor with international matters and participating in professional discussions and seminars. The service emphasized his long-standing contributions to the advancement of forecasting in Israel.