Ivan Moscovich

Ivan Moscovich is an internationally acclaimed designer of games, puzzles, toys and educational aids. He is the author of several books and is widely recognized as one of most innovative inventors in the toy industry.

Moscovich was born in the former Yugoslavia, to Hungarian parents. His father was anindustrial designer. Ivan had a happy childhood until the outbreak of World War II when Hungary occupied the area of Yugoslavia in which they lived, and his father was killed during the occupation. Later during the war, Ivan was taken to the concentration campsAuschwitz, Bergen Belsen and others, where he was liberated by British troops in 1945. He was sent for recuperation in Sweden before returning home. Finishing his University studies in Mechanical Engineering he immigrated to Israel. Initially he worked as a research scientist, involved in the design and creation of teaching materials, aids and educational games.

His work attracted much general interest which, in 1958, resulted in his proposal for the establishment of a novel science museum, the first of its kind in Israel. He became the founder, creator, and later Director of the Museum of Science and Technology and the Tel Aviv. His science museum first opened in temporary premises in 1964 and attracted world-wide interest and hundreds of thousands of visitors until its closure in the late seventies. The museum was one of the very early forerunners in hands-on science museums, introducing a great number of original hands-on and interactive science exhibits and providing exhibitions in science, art and mathematics to wide audiences. The exhibits were predominantly his original designs and own creation and were enthusiastically received by teachers and educators. Frank Oppenheimer visited the science museum in 1965, and later applied several of Ivan's designs and exhibits in his revolutionary "Exploratorium" in San Francisco which opened in 1969. Oppenheimer's creation became one of the most famous science museums ever.