LEO BAECK l NSTl TUTE LONDON ANNUAL REPORT OF ACTl V l T l ES 2009 Leo Baeck Institute London March 2009 Report of Activities CONTENTS Board 4 Introduction 5 Strategic Alliance of the LBI London and Queen Mary College, University of London 9 Lecture by Dr Wolfgang Schäuble, German Federal Minister of the Interior: Integration and Diversity—State and Religion in the Pluralistic Society 9 LBI Appeals 18 Tribute to Arnold Paucker 20 Peter Pulzer on Arnold Paucker 20 Arnold Paucker’s Retirement Speech 22 Obituary: Irmgard Foerg 24 Publications 25 The Year Book 25 Year Book Advisory Board 27 Leo Baeck Institute Year Book 53 (2008) 28 Leo Baeck Institute Year Book 54 (2009) 33 Novemberpogrom 1938 34 Research Projects 36 Jews in German-Speaking Academia in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries 36 A History of Visual Expressions of Antisemitism, Emotions and Morality 42 Lecture Series 44 European Leo Baeck Lecture Series 2007/2008 44 European Leo Baeck Lecture Series 2008/2009 45 FilmTalk 2007/2008 47 FilmTalk 2008/2009 49 Book Launch—Memoirs: Hans Jonas 51 Conferences 52 Antisemitism in Theory and Practice: Legacies in Cultural and Political Thought 53 International Conference «The Legacy of Hans Kohn » 55 Forthcoming Events And Conferences 57 Objects and Emotions—Loss and Acquisition of Jewish Property 57 Mutual Perceptions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam 58 Leo Baeck Fellowship Programme 59 News from the LBI Jerusalem: Highlights 2008 67 News from the LBI New York: Highlights 2008 68 Issn 1746–8663 Company limited by Guarantee Board Publications 69 Registered in England No. 766699 Director’s Publications 77 Registered with the Charity Commissioners No. 235163 Deputy Director’s Publications 78 Layout: blotto design, Berlin. Print: Gulde-Druck GmbH, Tübingen The Leo Baeck Institute 79 4 5 BOARD INTRODucTION Chair Prof Peter Pulzer Hon. Treasurer David Goldsmith Executive Council Adam Freudenheim Prof John A. S. Grenville Dr Dr h.c. Arnold Paucker Prof Raphael Gross (Director) Dr David Rechter The Leo Baeck Institute London has been able be able to continue with the Year Book in its Board Prof Chimen Abramsky to solve two major challenges in the past year. printed version but also launch it as an online Prof Peter Alter First of all, the London LBI has signed a new journal. This has great advantages for individ- Prof Werner T. Angress strategic alliance agreement with Queen Mary ual members of the Society of Friends of the Prof Esra Bennathan College, London University. This agreement Leo Baeck Institute who subscribe to our Year Prof Richard Bessel has been important because our lease at 4 Dev- Book: from now on they will be able to access Prof Tobias Brinkmann onshire Street is finally coming to an end in online all the articles of the Year Book since its Prof David Cesarani 2010. From then on we will rent space in the first edition in 1955. The Year Book will thus Dr David Feldman newly constructed Humanities building on the turn into a new product: each subscriber will Prof Edgar Feuchtwanger campus of QM. As much as we all regret leaving hold the key to a whole library of German- Dr Cathy Gelbin our old home, the partnership with QM holds Jewish history and culture. We hope this will Prof Sander Gilman great potential. The LBI needs to develop even not only have a huge impact on the usage of Dr Abigail Green stronger links with the UK university system our flagship project, but make it an even more Dr Robert Kalisch in order to continue its role as one of the cen- attractive place for the publication of first rate Dr Anthony Kauders tres of excellence in German Jewish History articles from researchers worldwide. Dr Rainer Liedtke and Culture, both in the UK and internation- To mark the strategic alliance between the Dr Louise London ally. As part of our partnership, the director LBI London and Queen Mary, University of C. T. Marx of the LBI will become a reader at QM and the London we had the great privilege to be invited Lord Moser deputy director will hold a part-time position by the German Ambassador, Georg Boom- Dr Rudolf Muhs in the history department. Since QM and its gaarden, to his residence, where the German Prof Aubrey Newman history department are among the very best in Minister of the Interior, Dr Wolfgang Schäuble, Prof Ritchie Robertson the UK, we are particularly happy about this gave a truly remarkable lecture (part of which Prof Nils Roemer new venture and are looking forward to a fruit- is printed in this report). The German Embassy Robin E. Sharp ful partnership. For 2009 we have already initi- also hosted a dinner with Dr Schäuble during Prof David Sorkin ated a joint Leo Baeck MA in European Jewish which we had the chance to celebrate together Prof Jonathan Steinberg History. We are especially delighted about this with our new friends from QM and many long- Prof Edward Timms new partnership as it opens up great potential standing supporters of the LBI London. It gives Prof Till van Rahden to broaden our remit while at the same time me great pleasure to thank all of those who Prof Bernard Wasserstein allowing us to maintain our autonomy. supported us, but in particular our host Georg Prof Christian Wiese An equally important challenge for the Leo Boomgaarden and Dr Wolfgang Schäuble who Prof Robert S. Wistrich Baeck Institute and one of its central projects, made the effort to come from Germany espe- Prof Ruth Wodak the LBI Year Book, is our cooperation with cially for this occasion. I think that the per- Hon. Fellows Sheldon Nash Oxford University Press, the new publisher of sonal presence of the German Minister of the Prof Reinhard Rürup the Year Book. With the help of OUP we will Interior shows how deeply the work of the Leo 6 Introduction Introduction 7 Prof Peter Pulzer (Chairman) Dr des. Daniel Wildmann (Deputy Director) David Goldsmith (Honorary Treasurer) Dr Cathy Gelbin (Member of the LBI London Board) Dr Anthony Kauders (Member of the LBI London Board) Baeck Institute is appreciated by the German Alasdair Smith, who has shown great interest Fellowship programme is supported by the the history of science—was recently appointed Government, and the extent to which this Gov- in strengthening German-Jewish Studies at Fonds « Erinnerung, Verantwortung und Zuku- director of the newly founded Jacques Loeb ernment is trying to integrate the legacy of Sussex and in the UK in general, and who was nft », the Alfred Freiherr von Oppenheim Stif- Centre at Ben Gurion University in Israel, our German-Jewish history into their own moral a strong supporter of our close cooperation tung, the Fritz Thyssen Stiftung and the Robert interest in the history of science is further agenda. with the Centre for German Jewish Studies. We Bosch Stiftung. We are extremely pleased to be strengthened through this new cooperation. We are happy to thank most of our private would further like to thank the former Head of able to announce that through the generous We are delighted to have found the funding donors in the appeal section of this report. We History Dr Richard Whatmore, and the former help of the Bundesministerium für Wissen- for a new research project « A history of visual are very grateful to all of them for their help. Dean of Humanities, Dr Steven Burman, for schaft und Forschung, we will be able to run expressions of antisemitism, emotions and The number of activities we generate with a their help during the eight years of our alli- the Fellowship for another five years. morality ». The project will enable us to develop modest budget will, I hope, show that we are ance. For a second year our Deputy Director has criteria for discussing the emotional impact trying to make the most efficient use of their On 28 and 29 April 2008, the Leo Baeck organised—in cooperation with the Wiener of visual representation, which will be useful generous philanthropic support. Since one Institute organised together with the Wiener Library—a series of « FilmTalks » that have in present-day discourse on antisemitism of them has been particularly generous to us Library and in conjunction with the Euro- proved to be highly popular events. Leading in film and caricatures. Dr des. Daniel Wild- over the last few years, I would like to thank pean Network for Research into Historical and scholars in the field of film studies have par- mann (Deputy Director LBI London) and PD Dr him here: without the help of Professor Deich- Current Antisemitism a most successful con- ticipated, among them Professor Richard Dyer Werner Konitzer (Deputy Director Fritz Bauer mann and his Foundation, the Institute would ference « Antisemitism in Theory and Prac- of Kings College, University of London. Institute Frankfurt) will undertake this fasci- not have been able to open up a completely new tice ». Scholars from Russia, Poland, Hungary, The European Leo Baeck Lecture Series nating new project. field of research within German-Jewish history, France, Germany, Britain and the US discussed again benefited from the contributions of There have been more changes recently: namely Jews in German-speaking academia the impact of antisemitic legacies in cultural exceptional scholars such as Professor Richard Dr Arnold Paucker has stepped down from his during the 19th and 20th century. and political thought. Evans and Professor Susannah Heschel. The post as Honorary Treasurer. Arnold Paucker, Since we have had a long-standing and Another important event was a workshop lectures take place at the LBI London and at the former long-time director of the Institute very positive cooperation with Sussex Univer- with our Leo Baeck Fellows in Prague that took Jewish Museum in Frankfurt and help to bring and editor of the LBI Year Book, has been with sity over the last eight years, i.e.