Einstein archives get new home at Hebrew University

Hebrew University has built an ode to Albert Einstein, the German-born theoretical physicist who developed the theory of relativity — his own house on the university campus that holds the Nobel Prize winner’s archives.

On Tuesday, President Isaac Herzog, Hebrew University President Asher Cohen, Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Leon and philanthropist Jose Mugrabi laid the cornerstone for Einstein House, adjacent to Hebrew University’s Givat Ram campus in Jerusalem.

Einstein bequeathed all his writings and intellectual property to Hebrew University before he died in 1955. The archives reached Hebrew University in 1982, and now include more than 82,000 items.

The distinctively shaped Einstein House, designed by the world-renowned architect Daniel Libeskind as a cube twisted on a vertical axis, will highlight the impact of Einstein’s discoveries, his involvement in humanitarian and civil rights issues, and his deep commitment to Hebrew University, Israel and the global Jewish community.

Albert Einstein, at home in Princeton, New Jersey, June, 1954. (AP Photo, File)

It will include a reconstruction of Einstein’s personal library and his office, and exhibits of his original documents, including ones on the theory of relativity and the manuscript that introduced the famous equation E=mc².

Mugrabi, a well-known philanthropist and art collector, was named as the lead donor on the Einstein House, along with government funding.

A rendering of the Einstein House planned for Hebrew University’s Givat Ram campus; the cornerstone was laid on June 13, 2023 (Courtesy Hebrew University of Jerusalem)

“I am so excited to be here tonight and to be associated with Albert Einstein,” said Mugrabi. “In my past I didn’t study practically at all, and tonight to be associated with the genius of the century – I have no words. I feel like the luckiest man in the world.”