Dr. Leo Baeck, leader of Progressive Jewry and for many years during the Nazi regime a rallying point of Jews in Germany, has agreed to accept from West German President Theodor Heuss the German Grand Order of Merit and Star on the occasion of his 80th birthday, it is understood. The order will probably be conferred on him here this week-end.
This will be the first time that a Jewish religious leader will have been decorated by the German Federal Republic. Dr. Baeck was arrested by the Gestapo several times and finally deported to the reinstated concentration camp where he was one of the handfuls of survivors at the end of the war. On the occasion of his birthday, he has received congratulations from leading Jewish and non-Jewish figures from various countries of the world.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
