The Jewish Community Council of Leszno has brought out many eminent people over the centuries, held in high esteem by rabbis, scientists, artists and politicians. The achievements of Cwi Hirsch Kalischer – a precursor of Zionism, Albert Moll – a psychiatrist and pupil of Sigmund Freud, Ludwig Kalisch – a writer and friend of Jacques Offenbach, Saul Isaac Kaempf – an orientalist and expert on medieval Arabic poetry, Jacob Gottstein – a professor of laryngology, or Raphael Kosch – a politician and co-founder of the German constitution, have all found their rightful place in the literature on the subject. But among the thousands of those who were born in Leszno, only one person gained an indelible worldwide fame – Rabbi Leo Baeck.
Leo Baeck was born in Leszno on 23 May 1873 into the family of the local rabbi Samuel and Ewa, née Placzek. After graduating from junior high school in Leszno, he studied at Jewish theological seminaries in Wrocław and Berlin and at the universities there. He served as rabbi in Opole, Düsseldorf and Berlin. In 1922, he was appointed chairman of the Union of Rabbis in Germany. After the Nazis came to power, he was elected president of the Representation of the Jews in Germany. After the war, he settled in London, where he died on 2 November 1956. He was one of the most prominent Jewish philosophers, theologians and thinkers of the 20th century.
Among several related memorabilia held in the collection of the District Museum in Leszno, there is a letter to Superintendent Martin Rutz (1904–1970) from Mainz. Dated 3 November 1954, the writing is a response and thanks for the letter, the kindness shown and the "Posener Stimmen" notebooks sent to him by the pastor. Baeck emphasised, among other things, the need to maintain links between people bearing the image of the old homeland. Beneath the text is Leo Baeck's handwritten signature and a short note in which he recalls his last visit to Leszno: "I myself was in Leszno for the last time in 1938. I recognised few of the people I met on the streets, but the images I knew from my childhood spoke to me". The letter was the property of Pastor Martin Rutz until his death. In 1994, it was handed over to the collection of the Judaic Department by the superintendent's daughter, Renate Sternel from Hamburg.
Dariusz Czwojdrak
