The Leo Baeck Institute, established in 1955, is an international

research institute A research institute, research centre, research center or research organization, is an establishment founded for doing research. Research institutes may specialize in basic research or may be oriented to applied research. Although the term often i ...

with centres in New York City, London, and Jerusalem that are devoted to the study of the history and culture of German-speaking Jewry. Baeck was its first international president. The

Leo Baeck Medal The Leo Baeck Medal has been awarded since 1978 by the Leo Baeck Institute of New York City, an international research institute devoted to the study of the history and culture of German-speaking Jewry. It is the highest recognition the Institute b ...

has been awarded since 1978 to those who have helped preserve the spirit of German-speaking Jewry in culture, academia, politics, and philanthropy.

Organizational structure

The Leo Baeck Institute is made up of three independent international institutes, as well as two Berlin centres, and two Berlin working groups that are governed by the Leo Baeck Institute International board: * Leo Baeck Institute New York/Berlin *

Leo Baeck Institute Jerusalem The Leo Baeck Institute Jerusalem for the Study of German and Central European Jewry, founded in 1955, is a research institute based in Jerusalem, Israel. While affiliated with the Leo Baeck Institute and its affiliates in New York/Berlin (Leo Bae ...

Leo Baeck Institute London The Leo Baeck Institute London is a research institute dedicated to the study of German-Jewish history and culture, founded in 1955. It researches the history and culture of German-speaking Jewry from the 17th century to the present day. The i ...

* Berlin centres: ** Leo Baeck Institute New York – Berlin office ** Leo Baeck Institute Archives at the Jewish Museum Berlin * Berlin working groups: ** ''Freunde und Förderer des LBI e.V.'' ** ''Wissenschaftliche Arbeitsgemeinschaft des LBI in Deutschland''

History

In the beginning of the 1950s some of the most influential Jewish scholars from Germany met in Jerusalem to discuss what form the Leo Baeck Institute would take. The founding conference took place from May 25–31, 1955; Martin Buber, Ernst Simon, and Gershom Scholem were some of the intellectual heavyweights present. Most attendees as well as the personalities steering the institute had known each other before their flight from Germany through organizations such as the '' Central-Verein deutscher Staatsbürger jüdischen Glaubens'' and the '' Zionistische Vereinigung für Deutschland''. Others had held positions with the ''

Reichsvertretung der Deutschen Juden The Reich Representation of German Jews (german: Reichsvertretung der Deutschen Juden) was a Jewish umbrella organization founded in Germany on 17 September 1933. It was established to coordinate and represent the activities of Jewish political an ...

'' (formed under Leo Baeck's direction, and later renamed the ''

Reichsvereinigung der Juden in Deutschland The Reich Association of Jews in Germany (german: Reichsvereinigung der Juden in Deutschland), also called the ''new one'' for clear differentiation, was a Jewish umbrella organisation formed in Nazi Germany in February 1939. The Association branc ...

''). It was initially assumed that this project would take the form of a long-term historical project, preparing a comprehensive work on the history of

German Jewry The history of the Jews in Germany goes back at least to the year 321, and continued through the Early Middle Ages (5th to 10th centuries CE) and High Middle Ages (''circa'' 1000–1299 CE) when Jewish immigrants founded the Ashkenazi Jewish ...

. With the expectation that this would not last more than a decade, institute members concentrated entirely on research projects and filling in the history of German-speaking Jewry from the

Enlightenment Enlightenment or enlighten may refer to: Age of Enlightenment * Age of Enlightenment, period in Western intellectual history from the late 17th to late 18th century, centered in France but also encompassing (alphabetically by country or culture): ...

to the

Nazi seizure of power Adolf Hitler's rise to power began in the newly established Weimar Republic in September 1919 when Hitler joined the '' Deutsche Arbeiterpartei'' (DAP; German Workers' Party). He rose to a place of prominence in the early years of the party. Be ...

. The Leo Baeck Institute was created in 1955 at the conference in Jerusalem. It was founded as a board that was made up of two governing bodies, a research and publication board, and an administrative board. Hoffmann 2008, p. 43 It was founded internationally, with multiple locations made up of three independent branches. It is named in honor of its international president, Leo Baeck, the senior Rabbi of Berlin in Germany's Weimar Republic, and the last leader of the Jewish community under the

Nazis Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Na ...

. The Leo Baeck Institute, New York, was founded in 1955, at the same time as the parent organization, and is the United States branch of the organization. It is now a central umbrella organization focused on the study of the history and culture of German-speaking Jewry. The Leo Baeck Institute International board coordinates the activities of all three branches, and each branch reports at annual international board meetings about their research and publication projects.

Leadership

Presidents of Leo Baeck Institute International, the umbrella organization of the institute, have been: * 1955–1956: Leo Baeck * 1956–1974: * 1974–1992: * 1992–2013:

Michael A. Meyer Michael Albert Meyer (born 1937) is a German-born American historian of modern Jewish history. He taught for over 50 years at the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati, Ohio. He is currently the Adolph S. Ochs Emeritus P ...

* 2013–present: Michael Brenner

Leo Baeck Institute New York/Berlin

The

Leo Baeck Institute New York The Leo Baeck Institute New York (LBI) is a research institute in New York City dedicated to the study of German-Jewish history and culture, founded in 1955. It is one of three independent research centers founded by a group of German-speaking ...

in Manhattan includes a library, an archive, an art collection, and an exhibition centre. Its offices and collections are housed in the

Center for Jewish History The Center for Jewish History is a partnership of five Jewish history, scholarship, and art organizations in New York City: American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute New York, Yeshiva University Museum, ...

, a centralized partnership with other Jewish organizations that share one location, with separate governing bodies and finances, but collocate resources, in New York City. * ''Leo Baeck Institute New York’s library collection'': 80,000 volumes which range from collected works associated with the 16th century Reuchlin-Pfefforkorn debate over the banning of Jewish books to recent scholarship in the field of German-Jewish studies. * ''Leo Baeck Institute archive'': Over 4,000 linear feet of family papers, community histories, personal correspondence, genealogical materials, and business and public records of German-speaking Jews from the 18th century to the post-WWII era. * ''Leo Baeck Institute art collection'': 8,000 pieces of art that include works created or collected by German-speaking Jews from the 16th through the 20th centuries Additionally, Leo Baeck Institute New York administers several fellowships for scholars working in the field of German-Jewish history, and produces exhibitions and public programming related to German-Jewish history. It also awards the

annually. It is the highest recognition the institute bestows upon those who have helped preserve the spirit of German-speaking Jewry in culture, academia, politics, and philanthropy.

Leo Baeck Institute Jerusalem

As the second generation took over, the LBI Jerusalem transformed from a memorial community to a research centre. Almost all members of the LBI Jerusalem’s second generation were professional historians. Most had left Germany as children or adolescents, and had either little of no share at all in the founders' memories. For this reason the “memorial function” of the historiography lost significance. In its place came more strictly scholarly aspirations. Through publications, scholarly seminars, academic and cultural events, and an archive, the Leo Baeck Institute Jerusalem has been the leading venue for German-Jewish historiography and documentation in Israel. Its archives consist of a microfilm collection of

Jewish newspaper A Jewish newspaper is a newspaper which focuses on topics of special interest to Jews, although Jewish newspapers also include articles on topics of a more general interest as well. Political orientations and religious orientations cover a wide r ...

s from the 19th and 20th centuries, as well as a collection of family papers, genealogical materials, and community histories.

Leo Baeck Institute London

The Leo Baeck Institute London, founded in 1955, researches the history and culture of German-speaking Jewry from the 17th century to the present day. It aims to facilitate academic exchange, and to use the German and Central European Jewish experience from the 17th to the 21st centuries to help understand contemporary socio-political debates concerning immigration, minorities, integration, and civil rights, in particular in the UK. Its teaching and research capacity expanded significantly with the institute’s move from its historic home in

central London Central London is the innermost part of London, in England, spanning several boroughs. Over time, a number of definitions have been used to define the scope of Central London for statistics, urban planning and local government. Its characteris ...

to Queen Mary University of London, in 2011. Since then the LBI London has established European Jewish History as a teaching and research field at the School of History at Queen Mary. The LBI London remains an independent institute.

Publications

The institute’s flagship publication, the ''Leo Baeck Institute Year Book'' (since 1956), is a leading international publication in the field of the history and culture of German-speaking Jews. Published by Oxford University Press with a circulation of over 2,000 copies, it publishes original research on the cultural, economic, political, social, and religious history of German-speaking Jews. The Leo Baeck Institute Year Book Essay Prize is awarded annually to an early-career researcher writing on the history or culture of German-speaking Jewry. In addition to its ''Year Book'', the LBI London publishes monographs and edited volumes in German and English. Its two series, ''Schriftenreihe wissenschaftlicher Abhandlungen des Leo Baeck Instituts'', in German, and ''German Jewish Cultures'', in English, cover the period from the

to the contemporary era with a special focus on European Jewish history.

Academic programmes and events

The institute organises a range of events, such as international conferences and a public programme of lectures and workshops, often in collaboration with other UK or international organizations. Events are aimed at a broad audience. A ''Leo Baeck Fellowship Programme'' (in collaboration with the ''

Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes The German Academic Scholarship Foundation (German: , or ''Studienstiftung'' for short) is Germany's largest and most prestigious scholarship foundation. According to its statutes, it supports "the university education of young people who, on ac ...

'') was created in 2005 to support doctoral candidates in German-Jewish studies. The programme includes bi-annual seminars during which Fellows discuss their research with senior academics in the field. Up to 12 fellowships are awarded each year. In collaboration with the Queen Mary University of London, the institute offers the ''Leo Baeck Institute MA in European Jewish History'', currently the only postgraduate programme in the UK focusing on the field of European Jewish history. Among other topics, the programme explores the question of emancipation, equal rights, identities, the role of

antisemitism Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism. Antis ...

, and Jewish intellectual history. The institute also offers MA and PhD bursaries to support students on this course.

Digital collections

DigiBaeck

Einstein 1921 by F Schmutzer - restoration

In 2012, Leo Baeck Institute New York announced that it had digitized the majority of its archival holdings, as well as large segments of its art and library collections. Among the over 3.5 million digital images available through the online catalog, known as DigiBaeck, include: * Albert Einstein: Personal papers and photographs *

Franz Rosenzweig Franz Rosenzweig (, ; 25 December 1886 – 10 December 1929) was a German theologian, philosopher, and translator. Early life and education Franz Rosenzweig was born in Kassel, Germany, to an affluent, minimally observant Jewish family. His fa ...

, philosopher and theologian: Diaries and correspondence including writings related to his landmark translation of the Hebrew Bible into German (1926-1929) with Martin Buber * Joseph Roth, journalist and novelist: Original manuscripts *

Constantin Brunner Constantin Brunner (1862–1937) was the pen-name of the German Jewish philosopher Arjeh Yehuda Wertheimer (called Leo). He was born in Altona (near Hamburg) on 27 August 1862. He came from a prominent Jewish family that had lived in the vicinity ...

, philosopher: Entire estate and periodicals including the émigré journal ''

Aufbau ''Aufbau'' is a term which was used in publications from 1919 to 1947 in the German language. The term can be translated as "structure", "construction" or as "rebuilding", "reconstruction". Peter Galison advocated its use as a "keyword", in the s ...

'' Leo Baeck Institute New York partnered with the Internet Archive non-profit digital library that offers permanent storage of and free public access to digitized materials to complete the project.

Freimann Collection

Th
Freimann Collection
of books related to the ''

Wissenschaft des Judentums "''Wissenschaft des Judentums''" (Literally in German the expression means "Science of Judaism"; more recently in the US it started to be rendered as "Jewish Studies" or "Judaic Studies," a wide academic field of inquiry in American Universities) ...

'' (in English: ''Science of Judaism'') is another digitization project. Working in coordination with

Frankfurt University Library The Frankfurt University Library (German: ''Universitätsbibliothek Frankfurt am Main'', or ''Universitätsbibliothek Johann Christian Senckenberg'') is the library for the Goethe University of Frankfurt, Germany. Overview It originated in th ...

, the Leo Baeck Institute library located about 2,000 volumes in its collections that were missing from the Frankfurt Library’s collection of Judaica created by curator

Aron Freimann Aron Freimann (5 August 1871 at Filehne, Posen – 6 June 1948 at New York City) was a German librarian and historian. He was the son of Israel Meïr Freimann, and grandson, on his mother's side, of the chief rabbi of Altona, Jacob Ettli ...

in the 1920s, and were able to reconstruct the collection. The project was funded by a joint grant from the U.S. National Endowment for the Humanities and the German Research Foundation ''(Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft – DFG)''.

Notable publications

* Arendt, Hannah, Richard Winston, and Clara Winston.

Liliane Weissberg Liliane Weissberg (born 1953) is an American literary scholar and cultural historian specializing in German-Jewish studies and German and American literature. She is currently the Christopher H. Browne Distinguished Professor in Arts and Scienc ...

. ''

Rahel Varnhagen Rahel Antonie Friederike Varnhagen () (née Levin, later Robert; 19 May 1771 – 7 March 1833) was a German writer who hosted one of the most prominent salons in Europe during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. She is the subject of a celeb ...

: The Life of a Jewess.'' London: Leo Baeck Institute, 1957. Revised edition - Baltimore:

Johns Hopkins University Press The Johns Hopkins University Press (also referred to as JHU Press or JHUP) is the publishing division of Johns Hopkins University. It was founded in 1878 and is the oldest continuously running university press in the United States. The press publi ...

, 1997. * Meyer, Michael A., Michael Brenner, Avraham Barkai, Paul Mendes Flohr, ed. ''German-Jewish History in Modern Times, Vol. 1-4.'' New York: Columbia University Press, 1996. English translation of ''Deutsch-jüdische Geschichte in der Neuzeit.'' * Meyer, Michael A., Mordekhai Broier, Mîk̲ā'ēl Greṣ, Michael Brenner, Steven M. Lowenstein, and Avraham Barḳai. ''Deutsch-jüdische Geschichte in der Neuzeit 1 1.'' München: Beck, 2000.

References

Bibliography

* ** ** **

External links

Leo Baeck Institute New York

Leo Baeck Institute London

Leo Baeck Institute Jerusalem

''Freunde und Förderer des Leo Baeck Instituts e.V.''

DigiBaeck
- Digitized collections portal
"Guide to the Leo Baeck Institute London records"
AR 6682 * Leo Baeck Institute at GLAM-Wiki initiative