Heinrich Dittmar (historian)
Heinrich Dittmar (born September 25, 1934 in Gießen ; † December 14, 2014 in Alsfeld ) was a German historian and educator who made a special contribution to coming to terms with the history of the Jews . He was married and lived in Alsfeld.
Life
Heinrich Dittmar completed a teaching degree with a major in sociology and history at the Pedagogical Institute in Jugenheim / Bergstrasse. From 1957 to 1963 he worked as a teacher in Ober-Gleen . This was followed by a degree in special education at the Philipps University in Marburg. Until 1993 he was head of the special school in Alsfeld , Upper Hesse. Since 1975 he has been a member of the Vogelsberg District Monument Advisory Board. He was a member of the State Monument Council at the Ministry of Art and Science for two terms. For a long time he was concerned with questions of monument preservation. Since 1975 he has been working on the history of the former Jewish population in Upper Hesse and was active in many organizations that promote this work:
- Association for the development of the history of rural Jewry in the Vogelsberg
- Association for Christian-Jewish Cooperation in Fulda
- Working group memorials of the Hessian State Center for Political Education
- In conjunction with the regional association of Jewish communities in Hesse , he carried out care work at the Jewish cemeteries in the Vogelsberg district.
Services
Heinrich Dittmar researched Jewish history in order to preserve the memory of the Jewish families in the region and their fate during the Nazi era from being forgotten.
Since 1975 he has been collecting and viewing material on the Jewish past in the archives of the Vogelsbergkreis region. In discussions with citizens and in cooperation with the Jewish Museum Frankfurt , the Jewish community of Fulda and the regional association of Jewish communities in Hesse, further information was collected and connections established. His book Die Geschichte der Juden von Alsfeld describes how close the German-Jewish relationship has been in the region since the 17th century.
Dittmar placed particular emphasis on looking after former Alsfeld Jews. He made contact with fellow Jewish citizens who now live in Great Britain or the USA and invited them to their former hometown. In some cases, relatives have been reunited. For these achievements he received the 2003 Obermayer Award for German Jewish Understanding. William C. and Judith Freund from Millington, New Jersey and Michael Maynard from London , England, former Alsfeld Jews, suggested him for it.
Awards
- 1984 Letter of Honor from the State of Hesse
- 1994 Federal Cross of Merit on ribbon
- 2003 Obermayer German Jewish History Award
Fonts
- From the history of the Alsfeld Jews. In: Hessian homeland. 35th volume / issue 2, summer 1985
- History of the Jews in Alsfeld Heinrich Dittmar / Herbert Jäkel, Alsfeld, Geschichts- u. Museum Association, 1988, ISBN 3-927284-00-9
- Traces ... search for traces, signposts to the Jewish sites in the Vogelsberg. Reprint 1994
- Mazel and Schlamassel - November 9, 1938. Reprint November 2000
- November 9, 1938 - November 9, 2001 - Against oblivion - Visit of the Strauss family in their old homeland. Reprint November 2001
Web links
- Winner of the Obermayer Award
- A tribute to Newton, Mass. Obermayer Foundation Inc., 2003 ( German National Library )
Individual evidence
- ↑ Obituary of the city of Alsfeld in the Oberhessische Zeitung of December 24, 2014 ( memento of the original of December 27, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ DNB
- ↑ obermayer.us
personal data | |
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SURNAME | Dittmar, Heinrich |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German historian and educator |
DATE OF BIRTH | September 25, 1934 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | to water |
DATE OF DEATH | December 14, 2014 |
Place of death | Alsfeld |