The Selma Stern Society: Honoring the past. Securing the Future.

Leo Baeck Institute

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The Leo Baeck Institute is pleased to recognize individuals who create a lasting legacy of philanthropic support at the Institute in their gift plans by including them in the Selma Stern Society. Named after Selma Stern, the pioneering archivist and a founder of LBI, members give integral support that secures and sustains LBI’s archives, programs, educational resources and more for generations to come.

By including LBI in your estate plans, you help ensure the preservation and promotion of our world-class archive, library, and art collection — an irreplaceable record of the history and culture of German-speaking Jewry. Estate plans most often take the form of a gift from a will or trust, or a beneficiary designation from an insurance plan or retirement fund. There is no dollar minimum to join the Stern Society, and all planned gifts are nonbinding unless explicitly stated by the donor.

Stern Society members enjoy invitations to special LBI programs and events throughout the year, as well as other opportunities to closely engage with LBI’s archive and research library. LBI is pleased to recognize Stern Society members for their generosity in our Donor Report (online and in our newsletter), unless they make plans to give anonymously.

Included LBI in your estate plans already? Let us know here.

Most planned givers leave their gift unrestricted, meaning it is used by LBI where it is needed most. Should you wish to use your gift to sustain a particular area of LBI’s work, we encourage you to be in touch with the Development Department to ensure that your wishes can be honored to the highest accuracy.

Your financial or legal advisor, or other fund administrator, may ask for LBI’s 501(c)(3) information. You may use the following:

Leo Baeck Institute, New York | Berlin
15 West 16th Street
New York, NY 10011

LBI’s federal tax number is 13-5659965.

Selma Stern (1890-1981, b. Kippenheim, Germany) was a founder of the Leo Baeck Institute and among the first women to be professionally recognized as a historian in Germany. Her writings dealt with Jewish history, and included the history of Jewish emancipation and the Court Jews of the Early Modern period. She is best-remembered for her seven-volume work The Prussian State and the Jews (1965). She fled to the United States in 1941 alongside her husband, Eugen Taeubler, on the last ship to leave for America before the U.S. entered the war and ocean travel became dangerous. In the United States, Stern became the first archivist at the American Jewish Archives at Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati.

In 1938, when the Nazis forbid Stern from using the libraries and archives in Berlin, Leo Baeck and other scholars aided Selma’s research by helping her access documents, and by preserving her manuscripts from destruction. In 1955, Stern retired and became a founder of the Leo Baeck Institute, where she continued her trailblazing contributions to archival practice and historical writings. She served as a member of the Board of Directors throughout the rest of her life.

In appreciation of their planned generosity, Selma Stern Society members enjoy:

Special invitations throughout the year to exclusive events with LBI’s leadership.
The opportunity to enjoy a private tour of LBI’s archives once a year and at your discretion, for you and accompanying family members.
Annual recognition in the Leo Baeck Institute Donor Report and Newsletters. If you prefer to remain anonymous, we will keep your name and gift in the strictest confidence.

The Selma Stern Society

About Selma Stern

Selma Stern Society Benefits

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