When studying Jella Lepman’s biography, her autobiographical, journalistic, and literary evidences, as well as the considerable reception of her wide-ranging activities as a journalist, (children’s book) author, and founder of the International Youth Library in Munich in recent decades, it is obvious that her Jewish identity has been virtually ignored for a long time. This contribution will therefore focus on this aspect, exploring in depth the significance of Jella Lepman’s Jewish background for her biography. The aim is to determine whether and to what extent her Jewish heritage is reflected in her works or personal statements, and how this is taken into account in the reception of her work. To answer these questions, the following parameters will be applied: the historical facts, Jella Lepman’s literary, journalistic, and private statements, the temporal context in which she wrote her best-known work, the autobiography Die Kinderbuchbrücke (A Bridge of Children's Books, 1964), and the reception of her life and work – parameters that will each be examined in terms of their specifically Jewish aspects.