About Albert Einstein Archives

Representing the intellectual and personal record of a creative genius whose thinking profoundly changed our perception of the universe, it is of inestimable value. Einstein did not wish that any physical monument or memorial be erected in his name. The preservation of his papers, which most authentically reflect his ideas and person, affords a far more fitting means of maintaining his legacy.

The Albert Einstein Archives contains the largest collection of original manuscripts by Einstein in the world and includes his vast correspondence with the most influential physicists and intellectuals of the 20th century. Moreover, it comprises the most exhaustive compilation of material about Albert Einstein.

Albert Einstein’s Last Will and Testament of 1950 appointed his close associate, Dr. Otto Nathan, as sole Executor of his Estate. Upon Einstein’s death in 1955, Dr. Nathan devoted himself tirelessly for more than a quarter of a century to the administration of the Estate of Albert Einstein. In close cooperation with the co-Trustee of the Estate, Ms. Helen Dukas, Dr. Nathan succeeded in tripling the size of the Albert Einstein Archives during the period 1955-1982. As Executor to Einstein’s writings, Dr. Nathan cooperated with numerous publishers throughout the world in the publication in a wide variety of languages of many new editions of Einstein’s works. Dr. Nathan shared Einstein’s leftist views on politics and society – this affinity led to his editing (in collaboration with Heinz Norden) a selection of Einstein’s writings on pacifism entitled Einstein on Peace in 1960. Dr. Nathan also laid a substantial part of the groundwork for the historical edition of The Collected Papers of Albert Einstein. In 1982, the Estate of Albert Einstein transferred all the literary rights to Einstein’s writings to The Hebrew University of Jerusalem – in accordance with Einstein’s Will of 1950. During the period of 1982-1990, the American Friends of the Hebrew University (AFHU) in New York were responsible for dealing with all copyright issues pertaining to Einstein’s writings. This work was carried out meticulously and conscientiously by the late Ehud Benamy of the AFHU, under the sagacious guidance of the late Prof. Milton Handler. In 1991, the Executive of The Hebrew University in Jerusalem decided to transfer responsibility for all copyright issues pertaining to Albert Einstein to the office of the Curator of the Albert Einstein Archives in Jerusalem.

Albert Einstein was not the sort of person to retain every piece of paper that passed through his hands. He made no systematic attempt to preserve his papers prior to 1919. As a result of his dramatic rise to fame in November 1919, his correspondence increased vastly and he employed his step-daughter, Ilse, as his first secretarial assistant. She achieved the first semblance of well-ordered files. In April 1928, Helen Dukas came to work for Einstein and began to preserve his papers more systematically. However, not even then were copies of all outgoing correspondence kept. Shortly after the Nazis’ rise to power in 1933, Einstein’s papers were rescued from Berlin by Einstein’s son-in-law, Rudolf Kayser, with the help of the French Embassy. The material was brought to Einstein’s new home in Princeton and kept there until well after his death. With a few exceptions, the material left at Einstein’s summer house in Caputh outside Berlin was destroyed in order to prevent it falling into the hands of the Nazi authorities. Einstein’s Will of 1950 appointed his secretary, Helen Dukas, and his close associate, Dr. Otto Nathan, as trustees of his estate. Following Einstein’s death in 1955, Dukas and Nathan devoted themselves tirelessly for a quarter of a century to organizing the papers and acquiring additional material. As a result of their efforts, the Archives grew threefold. In the 1960’s, Helen Dukas and Prof. Gerald Holton of Harvard University reorganized the material, thereby rendering it accessible to scholars and preparing it for eventual publication in The Collected Papers of Albert Einstein, a joint project of The Hebrew University and Princeton University Press. To facilitate editorial work, the papers were transferred from Einstein’s home to the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton. In 1982, the Einstein Estate transferred Einstein’s personal papers to the Jewish National & University Library in Jerusalem. President Avraham Harman of The Hebrew University and Prof. Milton Handler of the American Friends of The Hebrew University played a crucial role in securing the transfer of the material to Jerusalem. In subsequent years, additional material was dispatched from Einstein’s Princeton residence, namely his personal collections of reprints, photographs, medals, and diplomas as well as his private library. In 1988, the Bern Dibner Curatorship for the running of the Albert Einstein Archives was established by the Dibner Fund of Connecticut, USA.

The Archives’ first curator was Dr. Ze’ev Rosenkranz (1989-2003), later Senior editor at the Einstein Papers Project. His successor Dr. Roni Grosz heads the Archives since 2004. In 2008, the Archives became part of the Hebrew University’s Library Authority and moved to new premises in the Levi building on the Hebrew University’s Edmond J. Safra campus, allowing for enhanced services to the public.