The Leo Baeck Institute London commemorates the anniversary of the death of Gustav Landauer, who was murdered on 2 May 1919. A prominent anti-Marxist anarchist, literary critic, and philosopher, Landauer was a central figure in the cultural and political life of German-speaking Jewry. He was a close friend of the philosopher Martin Buber, for whom he became an enduring model of ‘social mysticism’ and active love of neighbour.
Landauer served as a delegate for public enlightenment in the revolutionary republic of Bavaria before his assassination by counterrevolutionary troops. His commitment to humanitarian ideals and his belief that revolution was a permanent process of regeneration remain a vital part of our intellectual history
Images: LBI
