Das Leo Baeck Institut hält die Geschichte und Kultur des deutschsprachigen Judentums lebendig.
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This year, LBI awarded not one, not two, but three Leo Baeck Medals. Mandy Patinkin, his partner Kathryn Grody, and our longtime Trustee and former President, Bernard (Bernie) Blum were presented the Awards by LBI President David G. Marwell on Tuesday, October 24, 2023, at the Institute’s Annual Dinner at the Center for Jewish History in New York.
Ruth W. Messinger, current Global Ambassador and former President of the American Jewish World Service (AJWS) gave a laudatio for honorees Mandy Patinkin and Kathryn Grody. Messinger praised the couple for their steadfast support of AJWS and other organizations that support refugees. She also praised Patinkin’s narration of Exile, which she said told “brilliant stories of bravery and determination and moral courage.”
In his acceptance speech, Patinkin called his work on Exile “an extraordinary gift [...] to participate in this celebration of our heritage.”
As LBI President David Marwell noted in his remarks, Patinkin’s voice brings those stories to life, but they could not have been told in this way were it not for the engagement of the evening’s third honoree. A longtime LBI Trustee and former President, Bernie Blum’s visionary leadership and generosity included spearheading LBI’s entry into podcasting with Exile. Blum has also been the driving force behind numerous LBI initiatives, most notably the digitization of LBI’s entire archive in DigiBaeck, making millions of documents available for researchers worldwide and revolutionizing LBI’s work.
“Bernie’s vision, commitment, and generosity have made a lasting impact,” said Marwell. He described Blum as, “a person who not only believes deeply in our mission but also brought to the table both substantial financial support and game-changing ideas [that] allowed us to eliminate borders and deliver unique content to new audiences in new and exciting ways.”
Mandy Patinkin and Kathryn Grody
Mandy Patinkin is an iconic Tony and Emmy-award winning actor, (Evita, Chicago Hope), a celebrated interpreter of the songs of Stephen Sondheim, a winner of the Deutscher Schallplattenpreis for his recording of Yiddish songs, Mameloshen, and most recently, the voice of LBI’s podcast Exile. His partner, Kathryn Grody, is an Obie-Award winning playwright and actress, and the two have entertained millions during the COVID-19 pandemic by sharing hilarious and heartwarming nuggets of their “uninterrupted togetherness” and glimpses into over four decades of mostly marital bliss on social media.
They have also used their platform to advocate for a program of Tikkun Olam informed by anti-racism, feminism, and the defense and expansion of democracy. They are especially active on behalf of refugees as ambassadors of the International Rescue Committee, an organization founded on the initiative of Albert Einstein in 1933 to assist German Jews fleeing Nazism.
Bernard (Bernie) Blum
It was longtime LBI Trustee and former President Bernie Blum's visionary leadership and generosity that launched LBI's podcast, "Exile," hosted by fellow honoree Mandy Patinkin, which has allowed us to reach an unprecedented audience with stories from the German-Jewish Diaspora. Before that, Bernie spearheaded the digitization of LBI's entire archive, making millions of documents available for researchers worldwide and revolutionizing LBI's work.
Ruth W. Messinger
Ruth W. Messinger, current Global Ambassador and former President of the American Jewish World Service (AJWS), gave a laudatio for honorees Mandy Patinkin and Kathryn Grody. Ruth’s remarkable 18-year presidency at AJWS began after a 20-year career in public service in New York City as a City Council member and Manhattan Borough President. Under Ruth’s leadership, AJWS exponentially expanded its work to promote human rights in the developing world, launch campaigns to end the Darfur genocide, reform international food aid, stop violence against women and LGBT people, end land grabs, and respond to natural disasters around the globe.
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