Leo Baeck Institute London Collection
Scope and Content Note
This collection contains records documenting the operation of the Leo Baeck Institute London. The majority of the material relates to the publication of The Leo Baeck Institute Yearbook, journal of the Leo Baeck Institute. It is the pre-eminent journal on central European Jewish history and culture, featuring the world's most prominent experts in the social, cultural, intellectual and political history of Jews in central Europe after 1789, including the Holocaust. Records in this collection include the Yearbook Binders from 1956 to 2000. These comprise the primary internal record of the editorial work behind each volume, and include extensive correspondence with the authors of the yearbook articles. Other yearbook materials include reviews and administrative documents. The collection also includes a small amount of documentation about the ongoing series of monographs on German-Jewish history, the Schriftenreihe wissenschaftlicher Abhandlungen des Leo Baeck Instituts. Administrative documents reflecting the basic functioning of LBI London include general and LBI-internal correspondence, meeting minutes, and reports. The collection also includes printed materials clipped and saved by LBI London mostly from the 1950s through the 1970s, such as reviews of its publications, German-Jewish subject files, and articles about LBI London itself. The collection also contains a small but wide-ranging series of archival materials collected by or donated to LBI London.
Dates
- undated, 1907-2008
- Majority of material found within 1956-2000
Creator
- Leo Baeck Institute London (Organization)
Language of Materials
The two primary languages of LBI London were and are English and German, and the collection reflects this. However, Hebrew, Yiddish, and many western European languages also appear, mainly in the printed material.
Access Restrictions
Open to researchers. There may be some restrictions on the use of the collection.
Access Information
Collection has been partially digitized. Follow the links in the Container List to access the digitized materials.
Historical Note
The Leo Baeck Institute was founded in 1955 and is named after Leo Baeck, who was the last public representative of the Jews in Nazi Germany. Its aim is to put on record the history and culture of German-speaking Jewry throughout central Europe, from Koenigsberg to Alsace, whose contribution to their countries of origin was immense. The LBI consists of independent centers in New York, Jerusalem, and London. The Wissenschaftliche Arbeitsgemeinschaft, the Verein der Freunde und Foerderer in Frankfurt/Main and the branch of the New York archive at the Jewish Museum in Berlin – all in Germany – contribute to the work of the three centers.
The London Institute is responsible for The Leo Baeck Institute Yearbook, which has appeared annually since 1956. Its articles cover cultural, economic, political, social and religious history, the impact of antisemitism and the Jewish response to it. Its classified bibliography is recognized as being of unique value for researchers and students. Over the years, the London Institute has also produced many symposium volumes and monographs, as well as more than 70 volumes in the Schriftenreihe wissenschaftlicher Abhandlungen des Leo Baeck Instituts. In addition to its publishing activities, the LBI London organizes a broad range of events such as lecture programs and international conferences, both in the UK and abroad, and also funds fellowships.
More information about the history of LBI can be found in Preserving the Legacy of German Jewry: A History of the Leo Baeck Institute 1955-2005 (2005).
Extent
24 Linear Feet
Abstract
This collection contains records documenting the operation of the Leo Baeck Institute London. The majority of the material relates to the publication of The Leo Baeck Institute Yearbook, journal of the Leo Baeck Institute. It is the pre-eminent journal on central European Jewish history and culture. Also included is a small amount of documentation about the ongoing series of monographs on German-Jewish history, the Schriftenreihe wissenschaftlicher Abhandlungen des Leo Baeck Instituts. The collection also contains administrative documents, such as general and LBI-internal correspondence, meeting minutes, and reports, as well as printed materials clipped and saved by LBI London. It also includes a small but wide-ranging set of archival materials collected by or donated to LBI London.
Arrangement
- Series I: Leo Baeck Institute Yearbook, undated, 1930s-2000 , bulk 1956-2000
- Subseries 1: Yearbook Binder, 1956-2000
- Subseries 2: Additional yearbook correspondence, 1955-1999
- Subseries 3: Layout work-product, 1956-1993
- Subseries 4: Reviews, undated, 1957-1984
- Subseries 5: Unpublished materials, undated, 1930s-1983 , bulk 1960s
- Series II: Schriftenreihe, 1959-1994
- Subseries 1: Publication files, 1965-1969
- Subseries 2: Reviews, 1959-1994
- Series III: Administrative, undated, 1951-1996
- Subseries 1: Correspondence, undated, 1951-1996
- Subseries 2: LBI correspondence, 1955-1994 , bulk 1977-1994
- Subseries 3: Minutes, reports, and organizational documents, undated, 1955-1968
- Subseries 4: Various, undated, 1957-1970s
- Series IV: Printed Materials, undated, 1923-2004 , bulk 1955-1975
- Subseries 1: Reviews of German-Jewish publications, undated, 1955-1999 , bulk 1957-1975
- Subseries 2: LBI London clippings, 1955-2004 , bulk 1955-1975
- Subseries 3: Subject files, undated, 1923-1995 , bulk 1956-1972
- Series V: Collected Materials, undated, 1907-2008
Series were determined based on record function. The folder and binder titles used by LBI London where maintained, where they existed, and otherwise arranged by function. The primary function of the London center within the Leo Baeck Institute organization is scholarly publication. The first two series are records relating to the Leo Baeck Institute Yearbook and the Schriftenreihe wissenschaftlicher Abhandlungen des Leo Baeck Instituts. Series III contains administrative documentation, primarily correspondence. The fourth series contains printed material, chiefly collections of clippings, while the fifth series includes materials collected by and donated to LBI London.
Separated Material
Books, pamphlets, magazines, and complete newspapers were removed to the LBI library.
The following dissertation abstracts were removed to the LBI Manuscript Collection:
Processing Information
Files received from LBI London between 1997 and 2010 were processed into the existing collection AR 6682, which was itself reprocessed. Four accretions and the existing collection AR 6682, totaling thirty-five linear feet, were surveyed. Some archival collections were identified and removed for separate processing. Preliminary series were identified by the survey. During a previous processing, some records had been re-foldered and had had paper clips and staples removed, but most were unprocessed.
Series were determined based on function and on folder and binder titles provided by LBI London, where existing. Files were physically arranged into series order and then placed in acid-free folders. Many complete issues of periodicals having only one relevant article were found. The articles were photocopied onto acid-free paper and the periodicals provided to the LBI library. Thermal fax paper and newsprint that was affecting nearby items was interleaved with acid-free paper.
The correspondence and yearbook files appear to have been stored in binders and often heavily used. Some documents are worn and dirty, especially at the front and back of the binders. Some of the onion skin and thin copy paper is folded or torn. Records and newsprint from the 1950s are fragile. Some thermal fax paper from the 1990s is fading.
Four additional boxes of material were located in May 2011. These materials were processed and rehoused, and are found in Boxes 22-24. Books and pamphlets were removed to the LBI library. Four individual folders in box 24 are listed within the finding aid in their proper intellectual location, rather than their physical location.
- Title
- Guide to the Records of the Leo Baeck Institute London undated, 1907-2008 (bulk 1956-2000) AR 6682
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Processed by Kevin Schlottmann
- Date
- © 2012
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Description is in English.
- Sponsor
- Made possible by the Cataloging Hidden Special Collections and Archives Grant from the Council on Library and Information Resources through The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to support "Illuminating Hidden Collections at the Center for Jewish History"
Revision Statements
- February 24, 2015 : Links to digital objects added in Container List.
- March 17, 2015 : More links to digital objects added in Container List.
Repository Details
Part of the Leo Baeck Institute Repository