An international project to recover Jewish books looted by the Nazis has officially launched in Israel under the title “Have You Seen This Book?”. The initiative focuses on tracing volumes from the Hochschule für die Wissenschaft des Judentums (Higher Institute for Jewish Studies) in Berlin, a major rabbinical school that was shut down by the Nazis in 1942. The school, founded in 1872, housed over 60,000 books, many of which were destroyed or dispersed worldwide.

Before the war, the Hochschule was a key intellectual center for Jewish scholars, with prominent figures such as Rabbi Leo Baeck and Abraham Geiger. These books hold immense historical and cultural value, and the project seeks to locate and recover as many as possible.

The initiative encourages the public to report any potential finds through a dedicated website, with the Leo Baeck Institute in Jerusalem verifying discoveries. The information is then displayed on an interactive map. To coincide with the launch, the “Library of Lost Books” exhibition opened at Tel Aviv’s Ariela House, showcasing maps, details about the looted books, and past recovery efforts.

Around 5,000 of the 60,000 books from the Hochschule have been located so far. The project is backed by the Leo Baeck Institutes in Jerusalem and London, the Leo Baeck Institute Friends Association in Germany, and the German-funded Remembrance, Responsibility and Future Foundation. Recently, the exhibition won Germany’s prestigious Grimme Online Award for its cultural and educational contributions.