Liberal Judaism’s Education Hub series, commemorating our movement’s 120th anniversary, continues tonight with a look at one of the most important people in the history of European Progressive Judaism.

Rabbi Michael Shire will present a session entitled Rabbi Leo Baeck: A Liberal Jew Before His Time

Rabbi Dr Leo Baeck (1873-1956) was a rabbi and theologian, the spiritual leader of German Jewry during the Nazi period and the leading Progressive Jewish religious thinker of his time.

His influential writings included The Essence of Judaism, published in 1905, and This People Israel: The Meaning of Jewish Existence, which was written in part while he was in a Nazi concentration camp.

On 8 May 1945, the day before he was to be executed by the Nazis, Leo Baeck was liberated. He later moved to England and became President of the World Union for Progressive Judaism, as well as President of Alyth Synagogue.

He died on 2 November 1956 with a newly established rabbinic school renamed in his honour – and we are proud that Leo Baeck College still trains Progressive Jewish rabbis and educators to this day.

Liberal Judaism’s Education Hub is a cross-communal adult learning programme. This year it will be split into four parts looking at 120 year’s of Liberal Jewish practice, values and beliefs.

Each session will be held on a Wednesday at 7:30pm via Zoom. Those registered to participate will also receive access to recordings of the sessions. Click here to register.

All sessions are designed to stand alone, so you can attend as many (or as few) evenings as you’d like. The previous and upcoming sessions are:

Wednesday 12 January: Rabbi Dr Charles Middleburgh presented a loving retrospective on Rabbi John D Rayner. You can watch it here.
Wednesday 19 January: Rabbi Pete Tobias and many others shared special memories of Rosita Rosenberg. You can watch it here.
Wednesday 26 January: Rabbi Michael Shire on Rabbi Leo Baeck: A Liberal Jew Before His Time
Wednesday 2 February: Rabbi Jackie Tabick on Lily Montagu and her Club
Wednesday 9 February: Rabbi Dr Andrew Goldstein on Amy K Blank
Wednesday 16 Feb: Rabbi Aaron Goldstein in conversation with Ruth Shire

Last week,