On 25 May 1955, a group of German-Jewish intellectuals met in Jerusalem to establish the Leo Baeck Institute. Among them were Martin Buber, Gershom Scholem and Siegfried Moses. They set out to preserve the history and legacy of a community that had been disrupted under National Socialism.
They saw themselves as the last generation able to shape this history from living memory. Named in honour of Leo Baeck, the Institute was intended as a bridge to future generations. Its purpose was clear: to support serious research and to record the past without apology or nostalgia.
More than seven decades on, that work continues across our network in Jerusalem, London and New York. Based in Bloomsbury, LBI London remains a centre for the study of German-speaking Jewry and its continuing relevance today.
