B'nai B'rith Leo Baeck (London) Lodges: archives
http://lod.ehri-project-test.eu/units/gb-003348-wl1961 an entity of type: Record
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B’nai B’rith is the world’s oldest Jewish service organisation, committed to the community’s unity, security, and the fight against antisemitism and intolerance. Established in the US, it has been active in Great Britain since the early 20th century. On a local level, members organise themselves in a system of Lodges. In 1943, male Jewish refugees from Nazi persecution formed their own branch (‘Section 1943’) within the existing B’nai B’rith structures in the UK. Under the name Leo Baeck (London) Lodge No. 1593 the branch was officially recognized as a new Men’s Lodge in its own rights in 1945. One year later, an independent Leo Baeck (London) Women’s Lodge No. 510 was inaugurated. Both Lodges merged in 2006 and formed a mixed body known as the Leo Baeck (London) Lodge. Due to declining membership, the joint Leo Baeck Lodge was ultimately dissolved in 2017/18.
Founded by German-speaking Jewish refugees from Austria, Czechoslovakia, Germany, Poland and Yugoslavia, the Lodges were named after Leo Baeck, the eminent German Rabbi and international leader of Liberal Judaism. Although an early inclusion of members from other backgrounds changed the Lodges’ profile over time, the name endured as a reference to its origins and heritage. Committed to the values of B’nai B’rith, the Leo Baeck Lodges dedicated themselves to help the needy and to support the Jewish community. Starting with relief work for Holocaust survivors by the end of the Second World War, their charitable activities generally covered the fields of welfare, education, philanthropy and care for the elderly and children.
As self-governed associations the Leo Baeck (London) Men’s and Women’s Lodges managed their organisational papers independently. When both bodies merged in 2006, the newly formed Leo Baeck (London) Lodge took over the ownership of these documents. It is unknown whether the material was kept in one single place or in possession of various Lodge members.
The archives of the Lodges and their affiliated bodies were officially donated to The Wiener Holocaust Library by the Leo Baeck (London) Lodge. The acquisition came in three main sections over the course of the Lodge’s dissolution: material with the extent of 21 medium seized moving boxes was donated to the Library in 2016, 4 more boxes were accrued in August 2017, and the amount of one large seized moving box was provided in March 2019.
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Comprising documents, including bound reports, volumes, and index cards as well as some photographs and single objects, the collection includes the organisational papers of the Leo Baeck (London) Lodges and their affiliated bodies. Spanning more than seven decades, the material covers the complete period of the Lodges’ existence. The preserved papers appear, however, to be incomplete and only part of an originally larger bulk of material.
The documents provide an overview of the organisational structures of the Leo Baeck (London) Lodges as well as their affiliated bodies, and allow insights into various aspects of their activities. This includes among others information on the recruitment of Lodge members and their individual backgrounds, procedures of self-organisation and decision making, objectives and beneficiaries of the Lodges’ charitable work, the financial foundations of their undertakings, and social and cultural events arranged by and for Lodge members.
Preserved documents from the early years throw light on the efforts of German-speaking Jewish refugees in London to establish the Leo Baeck Lodges and to support survivors of Nazi persecution through relief and welfare work. Material from later stages documents the Lodges’ growth and blending into British society, reflecting the impressive expansion of their charitable work for the Jewish community in London and the UK, Israel and Eastern Europe as well as aspects of internal Lodge life.