Einstein was born in Ulm, as were Tanya Ury's Jewish grandparents Sigmar and Hedwig (neé Ullmann) Ury, who later fell victim to the Nazis. In 1993, Tanya Ury, second-generation who was born in London however, acquired British/German dual-nationality, the year when she also moved to live and work in Germany.

The title Du bist Einstein refers to the poster featuring an Einstein double, part of the TV campaign "Du bist Deutschland" (You are Germany). Shortly before the German general election in 2005, this campaign aimed to instil a patriotic, feel-good factor. That Einstein was chosen to represent a modern German ideal is questionable because in 1933 Einstein, who was Jewish, had to flee Germany to the USA.

Tanya Ury