Leo Baeck Institute

Specialties

Leo Baeck Institute is a New York City-​based research library devoted to the study of the history and culture of German-​speaking Jewry. LBI documents and engages this legacy through its library and archival collections, exhibitions, events and lectures.

History

Established in 1955.

Founded in 1955, the LBI was named for the rabbi who was the last leader of the Jewish community in Germany under the Nazis. Rabbi Leo Baeck survived the concentration camp of Theresienstadt to become the first president of the Institute. The Institute was set up with offices in New York, London and Jerusalem, with New York the site of the LBI library and archives. Since the opening of the Jewish Museum Berlin, LBI NY also maintains a branch of its archives there.