Former German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) is slated to receive the Leo-Baeck Medal for his contributions to Jewish life in Germany. According to reports from the newspaper “Tagesspiegel”, he is scheduled to receive the award from the Leo-Baeck Institute in New York on April 28th. Former U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken is designated as the presenter for the occasion.
David Marwell, the President of the Leo-Baeck Institute, stated that the award recognizes former Chancellor Scholz’s commitment to preserving the history and memory of German-speaking Jews, as well as his support for Jewish life in contemporary Germany. Previously, the Leo-Baeck Institute has honored numerous German officials for their support of its mission to preserve and promote the history and culture of German-speaking Jewry. Recipients have included former Chancellor Angela Merkel, Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, and former Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer.
The Leo-Baeck Institute New York functions as a research library and archive dedicated to the history of German-speaking Jewry. It houses one of the most significant collections of primary source material and research data concerning Jewish life in Central Europe in the centuries leading up to the Holocaust. A large portion of the archive has been digitized and is freely accessible via its catalog.
