The inaugural Eva Reichmann Lecture, held as part of the LBI 70th Anniversary Celebrations:
Eva Reichmann: Witness, Historian, Legacy
This special event celebrated the legacy of Dr. Eva Reichmann, a pioneering historian whose groundbreaking work continues to shape our understanding of Nazi persecution and Holocaust historiography.
Programme
Welcome & Introduction
Dr. Joseph Cronin (Director, Leo Baeck Institute London) and Dr. Toby Simpson (Director, The Wiener Holocaust Library) open the evening by reflecting on Eva Reichmann’s enduring connection to both institutions and the significance of the new lecture series.
Roundtable Discussion
An expert panel explores Reichmann’s life, work, and impact:
- Christine Schmidt (Wiener Holocaust Library)
- Bea Lewkowicz (AJR Refugee Voices Testimony Archive)
- Natalia Aleksiun (University of Florida)
Topics include Reichmann’s efforts to collect eyewitness accounts, her role in shaping Holocaust scholarship, and the contemporary relevance of her work in understanding antisemitism and historical memory.
Q&A Session (20–30 minutes)
Followed by light refreshments.
This event was live-streamed and recorded.
This event was co-hosted by The Leo Baeck Institute London and The Wiener Holocaust Library and sponsored by the Hans and Berthold Finkelstein Foundation.
About the Eva Reichmann Lecture
The Hans & Berthold Finkelstein Foundation established the annual Eva Reichmann Lecture to honor the life, work, and legacy of historian and sociologist Eva Reichmann. During the Weimar Republic and the National Socialist regime, Reichmann advocated for Jewish civil rights through her work with the Centralverein, and after her emigration to the United Kingdom, she dedicated herself to the study of antisemitism and the collapse of democracy in Germany. She was instrumental in establishing the Wiener Library in London as one of the earliest and most comprehensive sites of documentation of Jewish persecution under National Socialism. The inaugural Reichmann Lecture was held in 2025 at the Wiener Library in partnership with Leo Baeck Institute London.
About the Sponsors
The Hans and Berthold Finkelstein Foundation supports research and remembrance projects related to the crimes committed during the National Socialist era – with a particular focus on forced labor under the Nazi regime and I.G. Farbenindustrie AG, known as I.G. Farben. It develops programs designed to foster a corporate culture shaped by historical and ethical responsibility, contemporary leadership, and democratic action. Through dialogue-oriented projects in Europe, Israel, and the United States, it works to strengthen resilience against hatred and discrimination – today and for the future. The foundation was established by Bayer AG in 2023.
Image: The Wiener Holocaust Library collections
