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Art Collector Jose Mugrabi & Israeli Dignitaries Lay Cornerstone for Einstein House at Hebrew University
The President of Israel, the president of the Hebrew University, the mayor of Jerusalem, and art collector Jose Mugrabi laid the cornerstone of a house to display Einstein’s legacy
Edited by: TJVNews.com
On Tuesday evening, Israeli President Isaac Herzog of Israel, Hebrew University President Prof. Asher Cohen, Jerusalem mayor Moshe Leon, and Mr. Jose Mugrabi, a prominent art collector, laid the cornerstone for Einstein House, adjacent to the Hebrew University campus on Givat Ram in Jerusalem.
The Einstein House will house exhibits of the legacy, work, and research of Nobel laureate Albert Einstein, one of the founders of the Hebrew University, who bequeathed all his writings and intellectual property to it. The building will serve as a center for scientific and technological education and employ modern display techniques, scientific demonstrations, and original documents to showcase Einstein’s immense contribution to science.
The Albert Einstein House will be a center for scientific and technological education, with modern display methods, scientific demonstrations, and original documents that showcase Einstein’s tremendous scientific contributions. The distinctive building, designed by the world-renowned architect Daniel Libeskind, will highlight the impact of Einstein’s discoveries, his involvement in humanitarian and civil rights issues, as well as his deep commitment to Hebrew University, the State of Israel, and the global Jewish community. The public will be able to tour a reconstruction of his personal library, enter a reconstruction of his office, and examine original documents, including on the Theory of Relativity and the manuscript that introduced the famous equation E=mc².
President Isaac Herzog said that “It is a great pleasure to be addressing you here at the Board of Governors meeting at this great Israeli institution, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. I am especially excited to be here to lay the cornerstone for Einstein’s House. Right here, we are laying the foundations for a vital living archive of the writings of one of the greatest minds in the history of humanity.
But we are also laying the foundations for a beautiful building designed by the architect Daniel Libeskind, for a legacy that goes far beyond any one person alone: This is the legacy of human curiosity – ‘holy curiosity’ as Einstein himself put it. so much that has changed.
Over the past century The Hebrew university has blossomed into a world-class institution that is at the forefront of global research and of contribution.”
At the ceremony, Hebrew University president Prof. Asher Cohen observed that the “Einstein House will provide the general public a look at the science of the man who sketched out the path for us and who, a century later, continues to serve us as a model of scientific excellence day after day. Our task is first and foremost to practice science and produce breakthroughs that will improve the life of all humanity; but a no less important part of this task is to explain science and make it make accessible to large audiences. This is precisely the vision behind the Einstein House.”
Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion said, “The Einstein House will be established here, in this place, as a living monument, to the ideal of academic excellence, to the value of exploring, discovering, and learning more about the world around us. The Einstein House, will be a house of learning, and a house of teaching. A house where everyone who enters, will leave richer in knowledge, with a better understanding of the past, and greater hope for the future. I want to congratulate all the partners in this amazing project. I have no doubt will make a significant contribution to the city and the students.”
Jose Mugrabi, internationally renowned philanthropist and prominent art collector said, “We look forward to seeing the wonders that this House will bring to Israel and the rest of the world in the future. The Einstein House represents so much more than the physical space. It will be a center of science and technology for our students and we are convinced that this place will create a new generation of Einsteins. I am so excited to be here tonight and to be associated with Albert Einstein. 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.”
Mr. Mugrabi is the father of New York City art collector David Mugrabi. The younger Mugrabi, 51, is a Syrian Israeli businessman with an estimated net worth of roughly $5 billion, as of 2019. He, along with his father Jose Mugrabi and brother Alberto Mugrabi, are major collectors of Andy Warhol arts and reportedly own roughly 800 of the pop artist’s pieces– making the family the biggest private Warhol art collectors in the world. Jose Mugrabi, who was born in Israel, reportedly made his fortune in the textile business while living in Colombia, as was reported in the New York Post. He had moved with his family to New York in 1982, and that’s when he began amassing the legendary art collection.
In April, the Jewish Voice reported that David Mugrabi’s ex-wife Libbie was compelled to pay the judgment against her to the owner of the upper east side condo that is located on East 82nd Street. The monthly rent on the upscale apartment is $28,800. The Post reported that Mugrabi lived in the apartment during the Covid pandemic and did not pay expenses.
Einstein House is being erected thanks to a generous donation by Mr. Jose Mugrabi, the well known international art collector, as well as 22.5 million shekels from the State budget.
