Leo Baeck Institute London

Leopold Zunz (1794–1886) was a pioneering historian and religious scholar who fundamentally changed how Judaism was understood and studied. The Leo Baeck Institute spoke to Dr. Rachel Livne Freudenthal, a historian and expert in Jewish studies. Dr. Livne Freudenthal works at the Leo Baeck Institute in Jerusalem and has published extensively on Jewish history, including works such as The Verein: Pioneers of the Science of Judaism in Germany (in Hebrew) and contributions to Jews in Berlin 1671–1945.

A new article in the EVZ Foundation’s Magazine of the Education Agenda NS-Injustice features reflections by former LBI London Deputy Director Kinga Bloch, along with LBI Jerusalem colleagues Irene Aue-Ben David and Bettina Farack, on the possibilities and limits of Holocaust education in today’s climate.

Welcome to the Meet the Fellows series, where we introduce the researchers in our fellowship programme and hear about their projects, academic paths, and work during their time with us. Today, we speak with Anna Weber from the 2024-25 cohort about her compelling doctoral research, academic journey, and experiences during the fellowship.

Hugo Haase (1863–1919) was a prominent lawyer, Social Democrat, and later co-founder of the Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany (USPD). The Leo Baeck Institute spoke to Dr. Karsten Krampitz, a historian, journalist, and author with a doctorate in history. Dr. Krampitz has published widely as both editor and writer for radio and stage, and his recent works include the book Pogrom im Scheunenviertel: Antisemitismus in der Weimarer Republik und die Berliner Ausschreitungen 1923. In 2019, he produced a radio feature on Hugo Haase for Deutschlandfunk.

The Leo Baeck Institute London offers internships of varying length to students specialising in German-Jewish studies or a related field. Interns will assist with the daily operations of the institute, support public events, contribute to outreach activities, and undertake research and translation tasks. This internship provides hands-on experience in an academic setting and the chance to build meaningful professional connections in the field of German-Jewish studies.

Everyone knows the story of Anne Frank – but few know about her stepsister, Eva Schloss, or the extraordinary promise she made to her brother, Heinz. In the moving documentary Eva’s Promise, follow Eva’s journey to recover Heinz’s hidden artwork created while in hiding during the Holocaust, and discover the incredible lengths she went to in order to honour his memory.

Join the Leo Baeck Institute London for a free online screening starting 19 September 2025.

An educator’s guide will be available for those interested in exploring these themes further.

We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Dr Edgar Feuchtwanger OBE (1924–2025) at the age of 100.

Born in Munich into a distinguished German-Jewish family, Edgar’s childhood was marked by an extraordinary and perilous proximity to history itself. As a boy he lived directly opposite Adolf Hitler, an experience about which he would later write in his memoir Hitler, My Neighbour. After fleeing to Britain in 1939 with his family, Edgar built a remarkable career as a historian of 19th-century British politics, publishing widely on Gladstone, Disraeli, and Anglo-German relations.

On BBC World Service’s Weekend programme, Kinga Bloch spoke about the Library of Lost Books – a project by the Leo Baeck Institutes in London and Jerusalem to trace the fate of books taken from the Higher Institute for Jewish Studies in Berlin after its closure in 1942.

Rather than destroy Jewish libraries, the Nazis used them for their own ideological research. Today, volunteers worldwide are helping to map where these books ended up and to recover their stories.

🎧 Listen here (from 44:35): https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/w172zw87qd6f3w5 

We’re delighted to share that our Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Dr Monja Stahlberger, has a new article in the Leo Baeck Institute Year Book:

‘I so wanted to be English’: Constructing Identity and Belonging in the Diaries and Memoirs of Kindertransport Refugees

The article explores how Kindertransport refugees reflected on identity, belonging, and memory across their lifetimes – showing that their experiences went far beyond narratives of simple assimilation.

Read it online (paid access): https://doi.org/10.1093/leobaeck/ybaf011 

The Leo Baeck Institute for the Study of the History and Culture of German-speaking Jewry is inviting submissions for its 2027 Year Book Essay Prize. The Leo Baeck Institute Year Book is a fully refereed Oxford University Press journal covering all areas of history and culture. A leading journal in the field, the Year Book has appeared annually since 1956.

The Essay Prize was established in 2011 to stimulate new research on the history and culture of German-speaking Jewry, and to promote young researchers in the field. The essay can be on any topic relating to German-speaking Central European Jewry, and should have a clear focus on the German-Jewish dimension and context.