HANS GEORGE HIRSCH

HANS GEORGE HIRSCH  
Hans George Hirsch died at his home in Bethesda, Maryland on Tuesday, December 15, 2015. Adoring husband of the late Helen (Leni) Strauss Hirsch; beloved father of Marga Hirsch, Deborah Hirsch Mayer (Jack), Daniel Hirsch (Brenda Gruss), and Naomi Hirsch. Devoted brother of Grete Hirsch, and the late Ursula Joachim. Loving grandfather of Shira (Scott) Alberts, Aviva Kamm (Jonah Hister), Joseph Kamm, Benjamin Kamm (Emma Kippley-Ogman), Sarah Mayer, Oren Hirsch, Jonathan Hirsch, Leni Hirsch. He is also survived by four great-grandchildren and extended family. Born in Stuttgart, Germany, to Otto and Martha Hirsch on August 8, 1916, Hans immigrated to the United States in 1938. He met his wife, Helen Strauss, in Minneapolis, and they married in 1941. He earned his BS, MS and PhD at the University of Minnesota. He served in the US Army during WWII. In 1947, the Hirsches moved to Washington DC, where Hans began his 35-year career as an economist at the US Department of Agriculture. He worked in the Sugar Division, the Economic Research Service, and then the Foreign Development and Trade Division. Hans was an active member of Congregation Beth El, where he served as shofar blower for 47 years, and a dedicated board member of the Leo Baeck Institute. In addition, he was an avid genealogist and gardener. Services will be held on Wednesday, December 16, 2015 at 12:30 p.m. at Congregation Beth El, 8215 Old Georgetown Rd, Bethesda, MD, followed by burial at King David Memorial Gardens, Falls Church, VA. The family requests that donations in Hans'' memory be made to Congregation Beth El of Montgomery County, to the Leo Baeck Institute, New York, NY, or to MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger.