Preserving the Legacy of German Jewry

Overview & Synopsis

Founded in May 1955 in Jerusalem by German-Jewish intellectuals who had survived the Holocaust - among them Martin Buber, Ernst Simon, Gershom Scholem, and Robert Weltsch - the Leo Baeck Institute of Jews from Germany (LBI) has been engaged in preserving the legacy of German Jewry by collecting material, doing research, and presenting historical narratives. Published on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of its founding, the present volume is the first to reconstruct the LBI's fascinating history, from its beginnings as a memorial community of surviving German Jews to its present status as an internationally renowned research institute. The authors are social and cultural historians from various countries, the majority of whom are not directly affiliated with the LBI. "Der anfängliche Plan einer 'Gesamtgeschichte des deutschen Judentum' ist mittlerweile einer überaus vielfältigen und lebendigen Forschung gewichen, und das LBI selbst, wie dieser gelungene, material- und aufschlußreiche Band zeigt, selbst Gegenstand seiner Historisierung geworden." Michael Wildt in Werkstatt Geschichte Heft 45 (2007), S. 130