The Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel, builds the Weizmann Automatic Computer (WEIZAC) during 1954-1955, with the scientific vision of Chaim Pekeris and the engineering leadership of Gerald Estrin. It is based on drawings from the IAS computer at Princeton University. It is the first electronic digital computer built in the Middle East and becomes an indispensable scientific computing resource for many researchers.