Rudolf Zielenziger was a lawyer, born in 1905 in Berlin, and died in 1963 in New York City.
The Jüdischer Kulturbund was established in April 1933 to provide employment for Jewish artists, musicians, and teachers who had been dismissed by the Nazis. They organized lecture series and theatrical and musical performances under the direct supervision and censorship of Staatskommissar Hans Hinkel, executive director of the Reichskulturkammer. The activities of the Kulturbund were severely curtailed after Kristallnacht and the organization ceased to exist in late 1941.
The Freie Wissenschaftliche Vereinigung was an organization for university students founded in Berlin in 1881. Other branches were later established elsewhere. Initially the Vereinigung aimed to attain better integration and understanding between Jews and non-Jews in German society and the world at large; a key component was that membership was open to all students regardless of religious beliefs or ethnic background. However, due to a lack of participation by non-Jews the organization soon developed into a largely Jewish student group.
From the guide to the Rudolf Zielenziger Collection, 1920-1948, (Leo Baeck Institute Archives)
