Obermayer German Jewish History Award

Joachim Hahn

Plochingen, Baden-Württemberg

Werner Frank and his family fled from Baden-Württemberg to the U.S. in 1937. With the help of people like Joachim Hahn, he has identified more than 23,000 relatives, many originating from that region and going back to the 13th century. Of the many Germans he has met, the one person who stands out is Dr. Joachim Hahn. The passion and commitment demonstrated by Dr. Hahn in bringing Jewish memories back to life, knows no bounds. He has written eight books dealing with Jewish history and culture in Baden-Württemberg, including publications specifically relating to Stuttgart, Ludwigsburg, Kraichgau and Esslingen. He has contributed significantly to the enrichment of Jewish genealogy and research, while educating the German public. 

Dr. Joachim Hahn was born in 1954 in Stuttgart, studied Protestant theology at Goettingen and received his doctorate at Tuebingen in 1980. After teaching theology at Tuebingen, he became a minister at the Evangelische Landeskirche Wuerttembergs in Stuttgart, and in 1988 became town minister in Plochingen. 

Dr. Hahn has searched endlessly to find Jews who were taken from their German homes, and has worked to link their post Holocaust stories to the events of the thirties and early forties. In the course of this work, he has become a well-known source for those seeking German Jewish genealogical data. Dr. Hahn has generously made his research available to any and all interested parties. Thus, he has established a considerable following among those Jews who seek information about family ties to Germany.