Synagogue on Frankfurt am Main. 1938. Leo Baeck Institute. Link. Sundown this Saturday marks the beginning of Tisha B’Av (the ninth of Av). Traditionally commemorating the destruction of the first and second temples of Jerusalem; in recent decades the day has been used to remember other Jewish tragedies, such as the 1492 expulsion of the Jews from Spain (which fell around Tisha B’Av) and…
Judisches Ceremonial This German book contains illustrated explanations to numerous Jewish rituals spanning from birth to death, including circumcision, presentation of the first born, prayer at the synagogue, a wedding procession, purification of the bride, the washing of the brother-in-law’s feet, the feast of reconciliation, death rites, burials, and celebrations of the Sabbath, Passover, and the New Year. Published in 1716, a copy of…
Images: Recha Freier; Jewish children singing at the Youth Aliyah School in Berlin, ca. 1940; a group of German children who have made it to Palestine as part of Youth Aliyah in 1934. The following poems (in German) are taken from Recha Freier’s Auf die Treppe. (Hamburg : Hans Christians Verlag, 1976). Freier founded the Youth Aliyah organization in 1933, which was responsible for…
Your Golden Hair, Margarete, 1980Anselm Kiefer (German, born 1945)Watercolor, gouache, and acrylic on paper The artist Anselm Kiefer (who was recently awarded the Leo Baeck Medal) was inspired by Paul Celan’s poem “Death Fugue” (“Todesfuge”) to create more than 30 paintings, painted photographs and watercolors, each of which somehow refers to the poem. You can see that the above painting – which is one of this…
On Sunday, April 15th, the partners of the Center for Jewish History will host a second-hand book sale from 11am to 4pm. The sale will include duplicate copies and “out-of-scope” work from the partners’ collections. Discover used books about Jewish and general history, literature, art, biographies, religion and other related topics. Authors include Sholem Aleichem, Isaac Bashevis Singer, Itzik Manger, Chaim Grade and many…
Partner organizations of the Center The Center’s website offers more information about each of the wonderful partner organizations that make up the Center for Jewish History. Please visit this page to learn about the partners’ vital work, invaluable collections and impressive commitments to preserving the Jewish past.
Telegram. Nahum Goldmann to Leo Baeck (misspelled in address line). AR 5890, Council of Jews from Germany Collection, Box 5, Folder 11, October 1953. Leo Baeck Institute. Out of the Archives: Council of Jews from Germany Recordsby Kevin Schlottmann, Levy Processing Archivist, Center for Jewish History Here in the Shelby White & Leon Levy Archival Processing Laboratory at the Center, we occasionally work with…
From the partners’ collections: Goetz von Berlichingen mit der eisernen Hand Click here to read the entire book. Description: Limited edition of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s Goetz von Berlichingen, illustrated with woodcuts by Bruno Goldschmitt (1881-1925), a German-Jewish artist from Nuremberg.Creator: Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von, 1749-1832Creator: Goldschmitt, Bruno, 1881-1925Object Origin: Hellerau bei Dresden, 1923Persistent URL: digital.cjh.org/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=797483Repository: Leo Baeck InstituteCall Number: r (f) PT 1952 A1…
On view at the Center for Jewish History now through December 31st, “A Continuing Conversation: Moses Mendelssohn and the Legacy of the Enlightenment,” an exhibit that continues the conversations that Enlightenment thinker Moses Mendelssohn began, examining the relationship between Mendelssohn’s Judaism and his Enlightenment philosophy, and exploring his life and legacy to inspire new insights for contemporary thought. 15 West 16th Street in Manhattan.