Dr. Alexander Dubrau has been appointed Director of the Leo Baeck Institute Jerusalem. He succeeds Dr. Irene Aue-Ben-David, who is moving on to a new position at the Jewish Museum in Hohenems, Austria. Dr. Dubrau will be responsible for the Institute’s activities, promoting academic research on German and Central European Jewry, and advancing the historical, cultural and liberal heritage of German-speaking Judaism within Israeli society. He assumes his position in March 2026.
The Leo Baeck Institute Jerusalem announced today the appointment of Dr. Alexander Dubrau as its new Director. Dr. Dubrau holds a PhD in Jewish Studies from the Heidelberg University of Jewish Studies. He has published scholarly research on the German-Jewish history of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. He has served as a lecturer and researcher at the Heidelberg University of Jewish Studies and at the University of Tübingen, and as a postdoctoral fellow at both the University of Tübingen and Bar-Ilan University. In his most recent position, he served as Head of the Germany Desk at the Jerusalem Foundation.
“It is a great honor for me to lead the Leo Baeck Institute for the study of the history and culture of German-speaking Jewry in Israel,” said Dr. Dubrau. “German-Jewish history and culture continue to influence and shape Israeli society today. We aspire to cultivate and pass on this rich and multifaceted spiritual, cultural, and historical heritage, and to strengthen its active and meaningful presence in public, academic, and cultural discourse.”
The outgoing Director, Dr. Irene Aue-Ben-David, congratulated Dr. Dubrau on his appointment. “The Leo Baeck Institute has been my home for a decade, and I am pleased to leave it in the capable hands of Dr. Dubrau,” she said. “Dr. Dubrau has a deep connection to the history of German Jewry, and I am confident that his commitment to the mission of the Leo Baeck Institute will enable the Institute to grow and reach new audiences, while continuing the outstanding work carried out by the Institute’s staff in recent years.”
Prof. Galili Shahar, Chair of the Leo Baeck Institute Jerusalem, added: “The Leo Baeck Institute is in the midst of renewal: Dr. Irene Aue-Ben-David is concluding her term as Director and embarking on a new path. We congratulate her on the extraordinary years in which she led the Institute to remarkable achievements and new horizons. We deeply appreciate her significant contribution and wish her great success in her new endeavor. A new Director has now been appointed – Dr. Alexander Dubrau. I wish him success in preserving the Institute’s achievements as a research center, library, and archive, a home for early-career scholars, and a venue for scholarly publications, workshops, and conferences, while also introducing welcome innovations – particularly in online platforms and beyond.”
Source: LBI Jerusalem