This year’s Helen and Leon Sperling Holocaust Memorial Lecture and Yom HaShoah Commemoration will celebrate the life of Helen Sperling, beloved Holocaust survivor, who died at the age of 95 in December. The annual lecture will take place Wednesday, May 4, at 7:30 p.m. at the Jewish Community Center, 2310 Oneida St.
Helen was best known for her tireless work in Holocaust education. For over 45 years, she shared her personal experiences with an estimated 150,000 to 200,000 people, including students from middle schools, high schools, colleges and universities, as well as adult groups from churches, businesses, social clubs and the penal system.
Her speech was not one of hatred or anger. Helen sought to enlighten, to teach with the hope that the horrors perpetrated during the Holocaust could be avoided in the future. In 1978, Helen and her husband, Leon, endowed this Holocaust Lecture Series so that their passion for education would continue long into the future.
Because of her tireless efforts, Helen was awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters from Colgate University, New York State’s Department of Education’s Educator of the Year Award, and awards from the Oneida County Historical Society, the United Way’s Interfaith Council, B’nai B’rith and the YWCA. She also received honors from United Jewish Appeal, Israeli Bonds and Hadassah.
This special event will pay homage to the woman behind the story. Through music, videos and photographs, family members, close friends, students and educators will share their personal stories and remembrances about this miraculous woman who preached love and the understanding that each person’s actions can have a valuable effect.