Exile released its first episode in November 2022, but the tale of how it came to be started long before that. On this special episode, we’re pulling back the curtain to tell the story of how this podcast gets made. From its origins in the mind of a dedicated board member, to the months of research and planning to select and shape episodes, to the music and sound effects that bring listeners into a time and place long past, Exile is truly a labor of love.

Learn more at lbi.org/exile.

This episode is narrated by David Brown, Director of Public History for LBI, New York. It was produced by Laura Regehr. It features contributions from Amy Houston, Stuart Coxe, Frank Mecklenburg, Michael Simonson, Karen Franklin, Renate Evers, Stephanie Ades, Eva Gans, James Dreyfus, Mandy Patinkin, Joshua Malina, Philip Wilson, Emily Morantz, Miriam Bistrovic, and Markus Krah.

This episode of Exile is made possible in part by a grant from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, which is supported by the German Federal Ministry of Finance and the Foundation Remembrance, Responsibility and Future.

This is part 2 of the remarkable story of Rabbi Leo Baeck.

Trapped in the “model ghetto” of Theriesenstadt, Rabbi Baeck led philosophical discussions that gave a fleeting sense of normalcy to his fellow inmates. But life in the ghetto was harrowing – hygiene was poor, food was scarce, and, as a member of the Jewish Council, Baeck had to make decisions that strained his strong moral principles. Dedicated to protecting his community in whatever way he could, Baeck stayed on at Theriesenstadt until the very end, cementing his role as a powerful symbol of German-Jewish resilience and dignity.

Rabbi Leo Baeck looms large in German-Jewish history, but he began his career as a smalltown rabbi in present-day Poland. Baeck quickly earned a reputation for moral clarity and quiet resolve, even in the face of a powerful opposition. As World War I gave way to the rise of the Nazis, the pressures on German Jewry intensified, and Baeck was thrust into an impossible role: guiding a community through its most dangerous and devastating hour. This is the first chapter of a two-part story.