The Leo Baeck Institute, London publishes the LBI Year Book, internationally recognized as the leading publication in its field, as well as the Schriftenreihe wissenschaftlicher Abhandlungen, and organizes a variety of scholarly conferences. It also offers fellowships to scholars, runs a joint MA program in European Jewish history with Queen Mary, University of London and generally promotes research on German-Jewish history and culture at English universities.
In observance of Passover, the Leo Baeck Institute will be closing early Monday, April 14 at 2:00 pm and will remain closed Tuesday, April 15 and Wednesday, April 16. We will again be closing early at 2:00 pm Sunday, April 20, and will remain closed Monday, April 21 and Tuesday, April 22. The staff at LBI wishes a good holiday to all and presents a highlight of our collection of Pesach Haggadot.
Leo Baeck Institute has completed digitizing all issues of the German-Jewish émigré Journal, Aufbau, published between 1951 and 2004, which means the entire contents of the most important publication of the global German-Jewish refugee and exile community is now available online.
LBI has acquired an extensive collection of about 200 books with covers designed by George Salter, who helped define the art of book design during a career that spanned from the 1930’s through the 1960’s in Berlin and New York.
Before Erich Wolfgang Korngold was first called to Hollywood by his fellow Austrian émigré, the actor and director Max Reinhardt, he was a celebrated child prodigy and an up-and-coming composer of serious orchestral music who had had works premiered by artists including Artur Schnabel
Famous for his tenure with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, William Steinberg was already an important conductor before he left Germany. At the Frankfurt Opera, Steinberg had conducted the premiere of the first 12-tone opera, Arnold Schoenberg’s “Von Heute auf Morgen.”
Known more for his communicative and emotional playing than technical mastery, Artur Schnabel eventually made recordings of all 32 Beethoven piano Sonatas which are still prized for their musicality despite inaccuracies. As a composer, he embraced a much more modern aesthetic.
Violinist Ernest (Ernst) Drucker’s papers in the LBI archives reflect the rich pool of talent associated with the Jüdischer Kulturbund during the 1930’s. Unlike many artists of his generation, whose careers were completely derailed by oppression and exile, Drucker was able to continue a successful career in America.
Arnold Schoenberg is recognized as one of the most important composers of the 20th century, and he appears again and again as a correspondent and topic of discussion in the papers of prominent musicians in the LBI archives.
The papers of the musicologist Ludwig Misch in the LBI archives tell a remarkable story about both the legacy of German-Jewish musicians and composers and the hardships Misch endured during his extraordinary survival of World War II in Berlin.
Leo Baeck Institute receives major support from the Federal Foreign Office of the Federal Republic of Germany.
