Library Collections and Periodicals
Leo Baeck College Library
Shortly after Leo Baeck College was founded in 1956, the Society of Jewish Study gave the College a collection of books mostly from the
- "Archival Depot Offenbach/Main" and from the
- "Reichsinstitut für Geschichte des neuen Deutschland"
(these were two Nazi Institutes that had collected books from Synagogue libraries, from the libraries of the Seminary in Breslau and the Hochschule in Berlin, and from private libraries from people who where deported. With the collection of these books Jenny Dorfler, former librarian of the Hochschule in Berlin, began her work at the College in 1957. In the beginning the Library was kept in the basement of a private house, as the College had no own building yet.
- The College incorporated the library of Rabbi Dr. Leo Baeck after his death in 1956.
In 1965 the College moved into its own rooms in West London Synagogue and received a purpose-built library room, funded by an endowment of Louis Littman in memory of his father Joseph Aaron Littman.
Since the 1970s the Library inherited the collections from the founding generation of the College's lecturers, mostly immigrants from Germany, among them the collections of
- Rabbi Dr. Ignaz Maybaum (1897-1976)
- Dr. Ellen Littman
- Rabbi Dr. Werner van der Zyl (1902-1984)
- Rabbi Richard Rosenthal (1929-1999)
- Prof. Dr. Ben Segal (1912-2003)
- Rabbi Dr. Albert Friedlander (1927-2004)
- Rabbi Dr. John Rayner (1924 / 2005)
An overview of the history of the library can be found in: European Judaism 42,2 (2008), 5-17.
The main collecting areas of the Library are:
- Bible
- Rabbinics
- Spirituality
- Jewish History
- Anglo-Judaica
- European Judaism, especially Germany, Poland, The Netherlands, France,
- Jewish Philosophy and Jewish Thought
- Israel
- Shoah
- Zionism
- Jewish Liturgy
- Jewish Preaching and Sermons
- Jewish Literature
- Jewish Children's Literature
- Modern Jewish Movements
The library hosts the following series of Special Collections:
Hochschule Books 
The Library contains 176 books formerly owned by the Hochschule für die Wissenschaft des Judentums in Berlin (1872–1938). These books were among the first of the collection and formed the basis of todays collection.
→ To see a list with some of these books search the subject "Hoschule Books" in the Library Catalogue.
Hyams Collection [long term loan]
The Hyams Collection is a collection of some 550 books for and about Jewish children from the 18th till 20th century. Most of these books were published in Germany, some of them in the 1930s under the Nazi regime. They survived the Shoah because they were taken by children when their families emigrated before the war to Palestine, North and South America, and to England. The founders of the collection are Charles Barry Hyams, who grew up in London’s East End, and his wife Professor Helge-Ulrike Hyams. They began collecting this material in 1976 from the various countries to which they had been taken. They collected children's books in the following areas:
A - Entertainment, fiction for children
B - Fairy tales, legends for children
C - Biographies of and for children
D - Non-fiction for children
E - Songs, poetry, games, jokes
F - Religion for children
G - Schoolbooks
H - Haggadot and Megillot
I - Moses-literature
K - girl's books
L - Yiddish books
M - Moses Mendelssohn and Reformjudaism (incl. Jacobson Schule)
N - Zionism
The private Hyams Collection was housed in the Museum of Childhood (Kindheitsmuseum) in Marburg till 2008, and exhibited in Frankfurt, Berlin, Montreal, and a synagogue near Bergen-Belsen. The Hyams Collection has already served as a source for academic research on such themes as Children and War, Children and Anti-Semitism, Children in the Nazi Era, and Children and Zionism.
→ The contents of the Collection are accessible from the on-line library catalogue at the LBC website (www.lbc.ac.uk), using the key-word “Hyams Collection”.
The sermons and lectures of Rabbi Israel Mattuck
The collection contains the manuscripts of his sermons given from 1906 to 1936 and his lectures given from 1906 to 1921.
The sermons and lectures of Rabbi John D. Rayner
The collection contains the manuscripts of 1137 sermons given at various places from 1953 to 2004 and of his 646 lectures given from 1951 to 2004.
The sermons of Rev. Vivian Simmons
The collection contains the manuscripts of his sermons given at various places from 1948 to 1967.
The sermon collections owned by Chief Rabbi Dr. Joseph H. Hertz [long-term loan]
The collection contains about 50 books containing mostly sermons published by various German and Austrian rabbis for various occasions in the 19th century.
→ Download a list of the Hertz Books:hertz_books 73.00 Kb
Paris Sanhedrin Books
The collection contains reports, minutes and reflections of and about the Paris Sanhedrin, summoned by Napoleon in 1806 to modernize Judaism. The books and pamphlets are mostly from 1806–1807, the latest dates from 1815.
→ Download the Sanhedrin Books Catalogue:
(Besides this collection Leo Baeck College Library contains other books relating to the Paris Sanhedrin, search the subject "Sanhedrin, Paris" in the online catalogue.)
Judaica Conservancy Foundation
The Judaica Conservancy Foundation represents a joint undertaking of the Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion, Cincinnati; the Hebrew University, Jerusalem; the Jewish Theological Seminary, New York; Leo Baeck College, London; the Leo Baeck Institute, New York; and Yeshiva University, New York. They share the ownership of and access to rare books and manuscripts once owned by the Hochschule für die Wissenschaft des Judentums. Dr. Alexander Guttmann succeeded in smuggling the collection from Germany in 1938.
Rare Books from the Hochschule für die Wissenschaft des Judentums in the Leo Baeck College Library:
- [Anonymous]. Kol Bo. [Code of rites and ceremonials]. [Italy, unidentified printer, c. 1485(?)].
- Haggadah. Seder Haggadah Shel Pesach[In Hebrew and Old Yiddish]. Pressburg 1730. Ms., 20 leaves. Fully illuminated title page, eleven quarter page illustrations, 45 miniatures, most of the illustrations in pen and ink, however 22 of 45 miniatures are heightened with colour. Original binding of painted vellum gilt, with fragment of original slipcase.
- Luzzato, Samuel David of Trieste, Mavdil Nirdafim [Synonym Hebraica or Explanation of Hebrew Synonyms and various Obscure Biblical Verses]. Ms., Sephardic script, early 19th cent.
Books and manuscripts held by the other members of the Foundation are available on microfilm at the Leo Baeck College Centre for Jewish Education library.
→ Download the list of the Judaica Library Foundation books:
Chagall Collection
When living in Saint Paul de Vence (France) Chagall wrote and illustrated dedications to Irmgard Neuman in the front of 48 books containing his works. He allowed her husband Alfred to make a unique series of photographs in his studio. The two remarkable collections have been donated by Alfred and Irmgard Neuman to Leo Baeck College.‘One day, Irmgard bought a book on Chagall’s work, and asked him to sign it. Instead, he put a charming drawing into it: this started the collection. "To Ingrid and Alfred" it said above his signature. It was, of course, "To Ingrid", but his sense of propriety forbade him to say so to another man’s wife;…It was out of friendship for Ingrid that grew the collection. He took a personal interest in it, and was delighted to see it grow. "You know" he would say, "this collection is unique."’(Alfred Neuman, The Record of a Friendship. London: Leo Baeck college / The Manor House society, 1996, pp12f.)
The London Bet Din Library
On 28th November 2000 important Hebrew books from the library of the London Bet Din were sold by Kestenbaum and Co. in New York (See Jewish Chronicle 24th November 2000). The vast majority of the books belonged originally to the first formally recognised Chief Rabbi of England Solomon Hirschel (1762-1845) and were acquired after his death. About this acquisition the Jewish Chronicle on October 6th, 1845 wrote: "We are gratified to learn that this excellent library….[within] which there are many very rare and valuable books and manuscripts collected by our late Chief Rabbi, his father [Zevi Hirsch Berlin] and grandfath
er [Aryeh Leib Loewenstamm], has been bought by the Committee…" (from the Preface of the Catalogue of Important Hebrew Printed Books and Manuscripts from the Library of the London Beth Din). At the auction Leo Baeck College bought a substantial part of this priceless collection on behalf of the Judaica Conservancy Foundation. On 13th March 2001 a second auction took place in New York. Leo Baeck College bought an additional 40 rare and precious books from the London Bet Din Library (See Jewish Chronicle 16th March 2001). On 12th November 2002, at the last auction, 19 more books were purchased. Four very precious lots were acquired again on behalf of the Judaica Conservancy Foundation. Ten books of the Hirschel family library were bought privately and given on long-term loan to the College. Twenty six volumes were donated to the College by members of Progressive Jewish communities and the World Union of Progressive Judaism. In total 110 books of this important library have remained accessible for scholars and students.
→ Download the London Bet Din Books Catalogue:
Gillinson Collection
Includes a large collection of pamphlets on Zionism, donated by the late Bernard Gillinson.
Podro Collection
A significant collection of 19th and 20th centuries Judaica in particular on Central European Jewry, donated by the late Joshua Podro (1894-1962), to further the study of Jewish history.
A Catalogue of a part of the Leo Baeck College Library Rare Books collection can be downloaded here: web_catalogue_rare_books 30/04/2009,16:56 533.50 Kb
The library keeps print editions of the following current academic periodicals:
Beit Mikra 15 (1963) - ...
Biblical Interpretation 1 (1993) - ...
Bridges 1 (1990) - ...
Cathedra 14 (1980) - ...
Dead Sea Discoveries 1 (1994) - ...
European Judaism 1 (1966) - ...
Freiburger Rundbrief 20 (1968) - ...
Heythrop Journal 16 (1975) - ...
Holocaust and Genocide Studies 1 (1986) - ...
Jewish Bible Quarterly 1 (1972) - ...
Jewish Quarterly Review 1 (1889) - ...
Journal for Feminist Studies in Religion 1 (1985) - ...
Journal for the study of Judaism 1 (1970) - ...
Journal for the study of the Old Testament 1 (1976) - ...
Journal for the study of the Pseudepigrapha 16 (2006) - ...
Journal of Jewish Education 73 (2007) - ...
Journal of Jewish Studies 1 (1948) - ...
Journal of Jewish Thought and Philosophy 1 (1991) - ...
Nashim 1 (1998) - ...
New Testament Abstracts 25 (1981) - ...
Old Testament Abstracts 1 (1978) - ...
Prooftexts 1 (1981) - ...
Revue des études juives 28 (1899) - ... [with gaps]
Tarbiz 3 (1931) - ... [with gaps]
The Journal of Religion 68 (1988) - ...
The Muslim World 78 (1988) - ...
Vetus Testamentum 1 (1951) - ...
Zion 21 (1956) - ...
The Library also keeps a variety of current journals and magazines of today's Judaism and inter-religious dialogue. Among these are:
CCAR Journal 12 (1956) - ...
Commentary / American Jewish Committee 1 (1945) - ...
Conservative Judaism 10 (1955) - ...
Emel. The Muslim Life style magazine 1 (2003) - ...
Gesher. The Official Journal of the Council of Christians and Jews 2 (1998) - ...
haMaor. Journal of the Federation of Synagogues 13 (1975) - ...
HaRakevet. A Quarterly Journal on Railways in the Middle East 11 (1991) - ...
Jewish Quarterly 1 (1954) - ...
Jewish Socialist 1 (1959) - ...
leShofar. Revue mensuelle du Judaisme libérale de Belgique 97 (1987) - ...
Levend Joods Geloof (Nederlands Verbond voor Progressief Jodendom) 39 (1993) - ...
Los Muestros. The Sephardic Voice 35 (1999) - ...
Manna. The Forum for Progressive Judaism 1 (1983) - ...
Midstream (Theodor Herzl Foundation) 2 (1956) - ...
Second Generation Voices 1 (1998) - ...
Sh'ma. A publication of Jewish Family Life 1 (1970) - ...
Tenou'a. Revue du Mouvement Juif Libéral de France 16 (1979) - ...
The Reconstructionist 17 (1951) - ...
Tradition 1 (1959) - ...
Yad Vashem Magazine 47 (2007) - ...
The library further hold a broad variety of important historic periodicals, among them for example:
Der Morgen 1 (1925) - 14 (1938)
Jahrbuch für jüdische Geschichte und Literatur (1889-1927)
Jüdische Monatshefte (1914 - 1918)
Monatsschrift für Geschichte und Wissenschaft des Judentums 1 (1851) - 47 (1939)
Tekufa התקופה) 1 (1918) -27 (1930)
Zeitschrift für die Geschichte der Juden in Deutschland 1 (1929) - 7 (1937)
Zeitschrift für die religiösen Interessen des Judentums 1 (1844) - 3 (1946)
This is not a complete list of our periodicals. Please check the Library Catalogue if you are looking for anything special.
