Johann Fleischmann
Since 1989 Johann Fleischmann, mechanical engineer from Muehlhausen, committed himself to Heimatverein Reicher Ebrachgrund (local history club Reiche Ebrach valley) and put his main emphasis on the local and regional Jewish history. His research granted him with worldwide contacts to people with Jewish roots and even led him to New York.
In 1994, Johann published his first book about the Jewish founder of kindergarten Muehlhausen. One year later he started the working group “Jüdische Landgemeinden an Aisch, Aurach, Ebrach und Seebach” (Jewish rural communities along the rivers Aisch, Aurach, Ebrach and Seebach). In a two-years rhythm, nine volumes of the series „Mesusa – Spuren der jüdischen Vergangenheit an Aisch, Aurach, Ebrach und Seebach“ (Mesusa – Traces of Jewish past along the rivers Aisch, Aurach, Ebrach and Seebach) with varied articles about Jewish history and culture were published. Even though the authors of the volumes changed, Johann always was the provider of ideas and motor of the project. For several volumes of the Mesusa series he was the single author.
For his work Johann received numerous national and international honours and awards, e.g. in 2006 the German Jewish History Award of Arthur-Obermayer-Foundation and in 2010 the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.
Johann Fleischmann died too early in 2013. His last and nearly finished book, volume 10 of his Mesusa series, was published posthumously in 2016.