Me with Bible Box

After the Bible Box was safely in the hands of the Pope, I was asked to create an exact replica, which I did immediately. I was under the impression that it was for President Peres and had visions of a photo of me handing it over, but it turned out to be for the Visitors’ Centre at the Technion. At least I will be able to visit it when I’m in Haifa.

Peres presents the Nano Bible to Pope Benedict XVI

A couple of weeks ago I got a call from the Technion in Haifa asking if I could make a box that looked like an old book. I said that I could and they told me that they were working on a very special project. Someone there had engraved the entire Hebrew Bible (called the Tanach) onto a gold-plated silicon chip .5-mm. square and they wanted a box that looked like an old Bible to present it in. They left the design and execution up to me.

Part way through the construction, I was told that the chip was going to be presented to Pope Benedict XVI during his visit to Israel.

The Box

I used a copy of a finishing tool from the 13th century to make a design that created a magen David (Star of David) in the background leather. I was a bit nervous about making a box without having the material that was going into it, but when the chip in its glass case was brought to me, everything fit together perfectly.

The people who made the chip took it with the box to President Peres and the following week he presented it to the Pope. Unfortunately I was not invited to either presentation.