18 May marks the birthday of Theodor Herzl, born in 1860. A lawyer, journalist, and political activist, Herzl was the founder of the modern Zionist movement.

The latest feature in the Leo Baeck Institute’s Meet the Fellows series introduces Meyrav Levy, whose research examines mediaeval Jewish prayer books, known as mahzorim, and how they fostered multi-sensory, immersive, and emotional experiences for worshipers.

We mark the anniversary of the death of the composer Fanny Hensel, née Mendelssohn Bartholdy, who died on 14 May 1847. A central figure in Berlin’s cultural life, Hensel composed over 450 works, encompassing lieder, piano pieces, and chamber music.

On 10 May 1933, student groups across Germany organised the public burning of thousands of books deemed ‘un-German’. The campaign targeted works by Jewish authors, political dissidents, and intellectuals whose ideas the National Socialist state considered a threat.

The birth anniversary of Sophie Scholl on 9 May offers an opportunity to examine individual conscience and intellectual resistance during the National Socialist period.