Considered the most influential physicist of the 20th century and a founder of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Albert Einstein is best known for developing the Theory of Relativity. In 2015, we celebrated 100 years of Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity.

Learn more about this revolutionary man’s life and watch the video below to find out more about Einstein’s other big idea.

You can also listen to a fascinating podcast here from Professor Hanoch Gutfreund, the incumbent of the Andre Aisenstadt Chair in Theoretical Physics and director of the Einstein Archives at Hebrew University, as he discusses Einstein’s two theories of relativity.

Einstein’s Other Big Idea: A Great University

2015 marked the hundredth anniversary of Albert Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity—a breakthrough that continues to transform our world. But how does the General Theory of Relativity impact life today? Einstein’s groundbreaking theory paved the way for innumerable advances and subsequent breakthroughs of the 20^th and 21^st centuries.

In addition to E = mc², Einstein came up with another remarkable formula that continues to help humanity and generate knowledge: the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Einstein believed in the universal power of education.

Einstein, the Univers, and a University

Just consider some of the Hebrew University’s many discoveries: new medicine to treat Alzheimer’s; pioneering cancer research; drip irrigation and eco-friendly agriculture; breakthroughs in brain science; leading developments in revolutionary nanotechnology and life-saving navigation systems for motor vehicles.

On the occasion of the founding of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Einstein said: “A university is a place where the universality of the human spirit manifests itself. Our university [the Hebrew University of Jerusalem] will develop speedily into a great spiritual center which will evoke the respect of cultured mankind the world over.” He would later add to that sentiment (see video above) at press event which recorded Einstein speaking his belief that, “this institution of research and scholarship represents a spiritual bond encompassing the Jews in all countries.”

Einstein’s legacy of genius endures in the work of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The university that Einstein helped found has grown into a research powerhouse and a global leader in science, medicine, agriculture, and the humanities. We celebrate the Theory of Relativity and the genius of Albert Einstein, whose concern for humanity, Israel and the world lives on in the work of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s scientists and scholars.