Honorary Doctorate for Dr. Hermann Simon

Department of History and Cultural Studies at Freie Universität Recognizes Simon's Knowledge of Jewish History in Berlin. No 003/2018 from Jan 12, 2018 The founding director of the New Synagogue Berlin - Centrum Judaicum Foundation, Dr. Hermann Simon, has received an honorary doctorate from Freie Universität Berlin. At a ceremony on Friday, the Department of History and Cultural Studies honored Simon as one of the most profound scholars of Jewish history in Berlin. Simon's life and work represent Jewish life in Berlin in a unique way. Hermann Simon was born in 1949 in East Berlin as the son of Jewish parents who had survived the Holocaust underground and in exile. He was an active member of the small Jewish community in East Berlin, also serving on the board. He studied history and Oriental studies at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, where he earned his doctorate in 1975.