Herbert Hochhauser, former Director of Jewish Studies at Kent State University, and former HGEN Executive Director, died January 1, 2019. He was 83. The entire HGEN board respectfully encourages you to celebrate the life of our mentor, colleague, and friend.
Some of the information in this press release comes in part from the Cleveland Jewish News, January 3, 2019, Jane Kaufman, Staff Reporter. Photo by CJN’s Bob Jacob.
Herbert Hochhauser taught German literature and Jewish studies at Kent State University for 35 years. He was the Executive Director of the Ohio Council on Holocaust Education (now Ohio Council on Holocaust and Genocide Education) and director of Kent State’s Ethnic Heritage and Jewish Studies programs.
Hochhauser was born May 2, 1935 in Berlin. After his parents were sent to a labor camp, he spent four years in orphanages in Switzerland and France. He was reunited with his parents and immigrated to the United States in 1948. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in German history from Ohio University in Athens, his master’s degree in German literature from Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vt., and his doctorate in 19th-century German literature from the University of Akron and the University of Innsbruck in Austria.
In addition to his academic career, Hochhauser produced films about the Holocaust, winning seven Emmy Awards from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, including his documentary, Beyond the Fence, the story of two survivors of Buchenwald and the American G.I. who helped in their liberation. HGEN’s current executive director Sarah Weiss shared a Holocaust panel with some of the filmmakers of Beyond the Fence in 2010.
Click here to view the film Beyond the Fence.
His wife, Karen, preceded him in death. They had three children, Shari, Mark and David, and four grandchildren.
Herbert Hochhauser’s funeral was held at 10 a.m. Jan. 4 at Gordon-Flury Memorial Home, 1260 Collier Road in Akron. Interment was at Anshe Sfard Cemetery, 310 Swartz Road in Coventry Township. Shiva took place from noon to 2 p.m. at Anshe Sfard Synagogue, 646 N. Revere Road in Bath Township.
Donations to the Jewish Studies Program at KSU are welcome. Make sure your donation says “JEWISH STUDIES PROGRAM” on the message line.
Read the full Cleveland Jewish News story.