Albert Einstein House Set To Open In Jerusalem In 2024

Albert Einstein is synonymous with the concept of genius. His theory of relativity, E=mc², is as ubiquitous as it is elusive. So too is the man himself: the German Jew’s ties to early Zionism in the not-yet-formed state of Israel are rarely discussed, as anti-Israel sentiments today often threaten to overshadow the universality of Einstein’s societal contribution.

Yet Einstein was a devout believer in the state of Israel. In 1923, he attended the inaugural ceremony of Hebrew University of Jerusalem. After fleeing Nazi Germany during World War II, he never returned to his country of birth, instead donating his archival materials to the Israeli university upon his death in 1955. An estimated 80,000 documents have since languished in a Jerusalem warehouse, largely accessed only by a comprehensive but complex live archive begun in 2012.

Until now.

Ido Aharoni, a career diplomat, has been mulling over the concept of an Einstein Museum since 2007, when he served as Israel’s first Brand Manager in Jerusalem (before returning to New York as Israel’s Consul General). As early as 2002, Ambassador Aharoni was reflecting on the status of a brand in geopolitics, working closely with advertising conglomerate WPP and their Brand Asset Valuator tool.

In 2008, he devoted special attention to Brand Einstein, urging political contacts to recognize the value of the genius in drawing naysayers to Israel’s incredible innovation, but he could never get the idea off the ground. Only in 2016 did he make headway, forming a partnership with multimillionaire Israeli art collecting magnate Jose Mugrabi. Among Mugrabi’s 1,000 Andy Warhol artworks is a single portrait of Albert Einstein.

Mugrabi underwrote the museum passion project for NIS 64 million, turning an unused building on Hebrew University’s campus into the Marie and Jose Mugrabi Albert Einstein House.

“Creativity is well recognized today is the most essential human asset,” Aharoni wrote from Israel. “Creative minds are the engine that drives the world. This space will be about the celebration of art and science. The Libeskind design is a brilliantly conceived piece of art, Einstein scientific genius is an art form by itself and, of course, the exhibition will include art related to Einstein’s life, such as his vinyl record collection and more.”

Following the Mugrabi endowment, the Jerusalem Affairs and Heritage Ministry, has planned to allocate an additional NIS 8 million for the design and content, and NIS 14.5 million for the building. Polish-American architect Daniel Libeskind has been commissioned to design the structure, known for his work on the Jewish Museum Berlin and the reconstruction of the World Trade Center.

In addition to his political pursuits and love of innovation, Ambassador Aharoni is deeply interested in the art world. He followed the Woman in Gold film about the Nazi seizure of the famed Gustav Klimt painting, and continues to stay abreast of the art market.

Ultimately, the fact that art was the catalyst for a museum on a great man’s innovation proves fascinating. In a globally polarized world, it was only a portrait that launched real discourse…not even the theory of relativity itself.