Leo Baeck Institute Jerusalem
An Israeli research and cultural institute dedicated to the history and documentation of German and Central European Jewry.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
The Leo Baeck Institute Jerusalem is a research, archival, publishing, and cultural organization devoted to the history of German-speaking and Central European Jewry. Established in 1955, it forms part of the wider Leo Baeck Institute network while remaining an independent institution operating under Israeli law. Related Leo Baeck Institute organizations are based in New York and London, and the network has also maintained links with German academic and cultural institutions. The Jerusalem institute was created in the aftermath of the destruction and dispersal of European Jewish communities during the Holocaust. Its early work carried an important memorial purpose: preserving the recollections, documents, and intellectual heritage of German Jewry and of the wider Jewish communities of Central Europe. As a later generation of scholars assumed responsibility, the institute increasingly developed into a professional historical research center. Many members of this generation had left Germany as children or adolescents and approached the subject through academic research rather than through the personal memories that had shaped the founding generation. The institute's work combines historical scholarship, archival documentation, academic exchange, and public cultural programming. Its research covers Jewish religious, social, political, intellectual, economic, and cultural life in German-speaking lands and Central Europe, as well as migration, exile, antisemitism, Jewish-Christian relations, and the consequences of the Holocaust. The organization has served as a major venue in Israel for the study of German-Jewish history through publications, scholarly seminars, lectures, conferences, exhibitions, and other cultural events. Its archival holdings include microfilm copies of Jewish newspapers from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, family papers, genealogical resources, and records relating to Jewish communities. These materials support both professional historical research and the reconstruction of family and communal histories. The institute also publishes Chidushim, a biannual journal whose name means “innovations” in Hebrew and which presents research on the history of Central European Jewry. Although the institute is associated institutionally and historically with the international Leo Baeck Institute network, it is not a commercial brand or a subsidiary of a corporation. Its identity is that of an independent scholarly and cultural institution. Since 2026, it has been led by Professor Guy Miron.
History
The Leo Baeck Institute Jerusalem was founded in 1955 to preserve and study the history of German-speaking and Central European Jewry. Its creation belonged to a broader postwar effort to document Jewish life in Europe, maintain the memory of communities destroyed or dispersed during the Holocaust, and preserve the intellectual, religious, social, and cultural heritage of German Jewry. During its initial period, the institute had a strong memorial and community-oriented character. The first generation associated with the organization was closely connected to the German-Jewish experience it sought to document. Personal testimony, recollection, and the preservation of communal memory were therefore central to its early historical purpose. Over time, responsibility passed to a second generation of scholars. Most of these historians had left Germany as children or adolescents and did not share the same direct personal memories as the founders. This generational transition changed the institute’s orientation. The memorial function remained important, but its work increasingly emphasized professional historical research, critical scholarship, and systematic documentation. The Jerusalem institute became a leading Israeli venue for German-Jewish historiography and the study of Central European Jewry. Its activities expanded across scholarly publications, academic seminars, lectures, conferences, and cultural events. The institute also developed an archive designed to support research into both broad historical questions and individual family or community histories. Its collections include microfilm copies of Jewish newspapers published during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, along with family papers, genealogical materials, and records concerning Jewish communities. These holdings help researchers examine Jewish public life, communal institutions, intellectual movements, migration, political change, and the effects of persecution and displacement. The institute is affiliated with the broader Leo Baeck Institute network and has institutional relationships with related organizations in New York and London. Despite these connections, the Jerusalem institute is an independent organization under Israeli law rather than a corporate branch of a parent company. Publishing and public engagement remain central to its role. The institute publishes Chidushim, a biannual journal focused on the history of Central European Jewry, and organizes an ongoing cultural program intended to connect scholarship with a wider public. Through this combination of research, archives, publishing, and cultural activity, the institute continues the preservation of German-Jewish heritage while treating it as a subject of historical inquiry. The chairpersonship has passed through several generations of scholars and institutional leaders: Hans Tramer served from 1956 to 1979, followed by Jacob Katz from 1981 to 1992, Josef Walk from 1993 to 1994, Avraham Barkai from 1995 to 1997, Robert Liberles from 1997 to 2003, Zvi Bacharach from 2003 to 2007, Shmuel Feiner from 2008 to 2019, and Galili Shaḥar from 2019 to 2026. Professor Guy Miron has led the institute since 2026.
- 2026
Guy Miron begins leading the institute
[1]Professor Guy Miron became the institute’s leader, succeeding Galili Shaḥar.
- 2019
Galili Shaḥar becomes chairperson
[1]Galili Shaḥar succeeded Shmuel Feiner as chairperson.
- 2008
Shmuel Feiner becomes chairperson
[1]Shmuel Feiner assumed the chairpersonship during a period in which the institute continued its scholarly, archival, and cultural work.
- 1956
Hans Tramer begins chairpersonship
[1]Hans Tramer became the first chairperson listed in the institute’s leadership record, serving until 1979.
- 1955
Institute founded in Jerusalem
[1]The Leo Baeck Institute Jerusalem was established as an organization dedicated to the study and preservation of German and Central European Jewish history.
Products and positioning
An independent Jerusalem-based center for research, preservation, publication, and public engagement concerning German-speaking and Central European Jewish history.
Academic journal
Chidushim
Chidushim is the institute’s biannual journal. Its articles address the history of Central European Jewry and extend the institute’s mission from archival preservation into ongoing scholarly publication.
Research archive
Archival collections
The institute’s archival resources include microfilmed Jewish newspapers from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, family papers, genealogical materials, and records of Jewish communities. The collections support academic research as well as the reconstruction of family and communal histories.
Academic and cultural programming
Research and cultural program
The institute organizes scholarly seminars, publications, academic and cultural events, and related activities focused on German-Jewish and Central European Jewish history. The program connects specialist research with public historical and cultural engagement.
Recent events
- 2026
Guy Miron becomes leader of the Leo Baeck Institute Jerusalem[1]
Leadership change
Professor Guy Miron began leading the institute in 2026, succeeding Galili Shaḥar and continuing the organization’s work in research, archival documentation, publishing, and cultural programming.
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