The Leo Baeck Institute London, in collaboration with the Leo Baeck Institute Jerusalem and the Friends and Sponsors of the Leo Baeck Institute, is pleased to announce the launch of The Library of Lost Books in Britain. It is part of the broader project The Library of Lost Books, which aims to locate books stolen by Nazis from the library of the Higher Institute for Jewish Studies (Hochschule für die Wissenschaft des Judentums) in Berlin. The project’s website is available in German, English and Czech, and a Hebrew version is in the making.
The pop-up exhibition in London aims to engage a UK audience with the history of a renowned German-Jewish institution, encouraging them to become citizen scientists in the search for the library’s lost books. These books may be found in libraries, archives, private collections, or any place that might hold books brought to Britain by refugees from Nazi Germany. These locations are prime spots for a ‘book detective’ to start their search. For instructions, visit this link or pick up your detective kit at the Wiener Holocaust Library.
The launch event took place at the Wiener Holocaust Library in London on 6 June 2024. As our main partner in the UK, the Wiener Holocaust Library is also hosting the pop-up exhibition, which displays traces of the Higher Institute found in Britain.
Speakers
- Dr Toby Simpson (Director, Wiener Holocaust Library)
- Dr Joseph Cronin (Director, Leo Baeck Institute London)
- Markus Knauf (Head of Department Economic and Global Affairs, German Embassy London)
- Dr Barbara Warnock (Senior Curator and Head of Education, Wiener Holocaust Library)
- Kinga Bloch (Deputy Director, Leo Baeck Institute London)
The pop-up exhibition is at the Wiener Holocaust Library (for directions see here).
It is open to the public 10am–5pm on weekdays and can be visited until 10th July 2024.
The project Library of Lost Books is generously funded by the EVZ and the BMF.
You can read more about the project and its aims here and the project website here.
