Leo Baeck Institute London

Through our Meet the Fellows series, we introduce the researchers in our fellowship programme and the questions that shape their work. In this interview we speak with Cyra Sommer whose doctoral project traces “translocal memory networks” linking former German Jews in Israel with German society after 1945, focusing on contacts and collaborations in what later came to be known as memory culture. Her research explores how German-Jewish history became an object of negotiation between individuals and across borders, and how these relationships evolved from the early 1960s to the 1990s

Can you briefly describe your doctoral research project for a non-specialist audience?

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.

We are delighted to share that the LBI London library collection has now arrived at Senate House Library, following its transfer from Mile End Library at Queen Mary University of London last week.

This milestone marks the completion of a project spanning more than two years, made possible through the dedication and collaboration of many colleagues. We are especially grateful to the teams at Senate House Library and Queen Mary for their support throughout the process.

The 23rd of May marks the birth anniversary of Rabbi Dr Leo Baeck, the namesake of our Institute. A scholar, teacher, and leader, Baeck remains a representative figure of moral resilience and intellectual courage within German-Jewish history.

We are proud to mark the UK’s first nationwide Jewish Culture Month (16 May – 15 June 2026).

Initiated by the Board of Deputies of British Jews, this major new festival brings together more than 100 events across the country, spanning art, history, food, music, and comedy. It offers a timely opportunity to engage with the richness and diversity of British Jewish life.

Rabbi Leo Baeck stands at the centre of German-Jewish history, yet his life and thought are often known only in outline. Two recent episodes of the Exile podcast from the LBI New York invite listeners to engage more closely with the person behind the name, following his trajectory from provincial rabbi to moral authority under National Socialism. 

The Library of Lost Books project has grown again. Building on two years of international engagement, we are pleased to introduce the Lost Books Lab Baden-Württemberg, which was launched on 1 May 2026.

Funded by the Baden-Württemberg Stiftung’s ‘Education against Anti-Semitism’ programme, the Lab brings together the Heidelberg University of Jewish Studies, the Friends and Sponsors of the Leo Baeck Institute, and the LBI Jerusalem.

Its focus is the professional sphere: trainees and employees work hands-on with looted books, learning how antisemitism operated through administrative and corporate structures, and reflecting on what this history means for practices of inclusion today.

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. His 1896 publication The Jewish State set out the intellectual and political framework for what would become the modern Zionist project. Living at a time of rising antisemitism in Europe, Herzl dedicated himself to finding a political solution for the Jewish people, and his ideas continue to shape research and discussion today.

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.

Can you briefly describe your doctoral research project for a non-specialist audience? What inspired you to pursue this topic?