Harry Zvi Tabor

Harry Zvi Tabor was born in 1917 in London

Harry Zvi Tabor was born in London in 1917 to Charles and Rebecca Tabor. As a youth he was a member of the Habonim youth movement in Britain. In 1947 he married Vivenne Landau.

He studied physics at the University of London and earned a bachelor's degree in 1937. He later completed a doctorate in renewable energy at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

In 1947 he moved to France at the request of Haganah activists to convert cargo ships for immigrant transport. He moved to Israel in 1949 and joined the Research Council at the invitation of David Ben-Gurion. There he founded the National Physical Laboratory, which set standards for units of measurement.

The laboratory turned to solar energy research. In 1955 Tabor developed a black selective surface that absorbs sunlight and limits heat loss, and it was later used in solar water heaters. He also worked on solar ponds with Ormat and on a small solar power unit with Lucien Bronicki.

He received many awards, including the Israeli President's Medal of Distinction. He died in Jerusalem on December 15, 2015.