Library of Lost Books: Exhibit seeks help finding Nazi-looted texts

An international project that locates Nazi-looted Jewish books is being exhibited at Beit Ariela public library in Tel Aviv, the Leo Baeck Institute Jerusalem announced.

The project, a joint initiative of the Israel-based institute and its London counterpart, is called “Have you seen this book?” and invites the public to help locate Jewish books lost in WWII. The exhibition featured the launch of the Library of Lost Books, which is available in multiple languages online and in various traveling physical installations.

The books that were found belong to the library of the Hochschule für die Wissenschaft des Judentums (Higher Institute for Jewish Studies) in Berlin, which was founded in 1872.

The Hoschschule is a leading rabbinical school and features a library with a collection of more than 60,000 titles. When the Nazis shut down the institution in 1942, they expropriated the books. Any books that were not destroyed in the war “found their way to various collections and individuals worldwide,” the Leo Baeck Institute Jerusalem said.

“The Hochschule was one of the most important institutes of liberal German Jewry in the interwar period,” David Rechter, the chair of Leo Baeck Institute London, said. “This exhibition will help us demonstrate the rich diversity of German-Jewish society before the Holocaust.”

From within homes, libraries, institutions, synagogues, and collections, the Nazis stole millions of books, the Library of Lost Books wrote on social media, and provenance marks in the books helped to tell a story. 

“Provenance marks are small clues throughout books that tell the story of books as physical objects,” the organization wrote. “Stamps, labels, and signatures are all provenance marks, as are the notes scribbled throughout books. These notes are invaluable and contain a wealth of information. Finding the lost books gives academics and historians a chance to document provenance marks and ensures that the Nazis don’t succeed in wiping out entire chapters of Jewish history.”

Today, about 5,000 of the Hochschule’s books and journals have been located in cities such as Prague, London, Berlin, Heidelberg, Frankfurt, Los Angeles, and Jerusalem, the organization said. Historians and information scientists led the search efforts, “but their success was limited.” The Library of Lost Books offers a page dedicated to guiding the public to lead book searches. 

The exhibition informs viewers about the number of books found, the Hochschule’s library and its looting, and previous attempts to locate and salvage books during and after the war, according to the statement. Also included in the exhibit is a map with information about the looted books.  

'An essential contribution to raising awareness of Nazi injustice'

“The choice of engaging the public using digital platforms was designed to pique the curiosity of a younger audience regarding a thriving educational institute destroyed by the Nazis,” said Dr. Irene Aue-Ben-David, the director of the Leo Baeck Institute Jerusalem. “We hope many youngsters from all over the world, including Israel, will be involved in locating the lost books in libraries, used book stores, private collections, and archives.”

The Remembrance, Responsibility, and Future (EVZ) Foundation, which contributed funding to the project and is supported by the German Ministry of Finance, stated, “We consider this project an essential contribution to raising awareness of Nazi injustice in the educational area.”