Hoboken ‘Holding Back Tears’ After Death Of Beloved Educator

HOBOKEN, NJ — When you bear witness to someone confronted with their own mortality, you truly get to know their inner core… the stuff that makes them what they are. And according to Hoboken’s mayor, the final days of beloved community activist Shirael Pollack can serve as an inspiration to the entire Mile Square City.

Recently, Pollack – the co-founder of the Hoboken Public Education Foundation – passed away after a two-year battle with stomach cancer.

The Hoboken Public Education Foundation posted a notice about her passing on social media on Saturday:

"It is with heavy hearts that we inform you of the passing of our dear friend and President, Shirael Pollack. Her impact on us, our community, and our schools will be everlasting. As Shirael would want, we will continue HPEF’s charge to enhance and elevate our public schools and to carry on the mission in which she so deeply believed. She will always be an inspiration. We have learned so much from her and we are beyond grateful that we were able to share in the magic she created around her."

The mother of two’s death comes as a “great loss” for not just her family, but the entire city of Hoboken, Mayor Ravi Bhalla wrote.

After learning of Pollack’s death, Bhalla penned a heartfelt tribute to Pollack, who continued to fight for the children of Hoboken – even as her health deteriorated.

His letter follows below.

“On Saturday morning, I learned about the tragic passing of our dear friend, Shirael Pollack. I know it has been difficult for so many of us who knew Shirael to hold back our tears. Shirael’s family and our community in Hoboken has suffered a great loss in Shirael’s passing.

“To have known Shirael is to have been blessed. Our paths crossed through the public schools, as her daughter and my son went to pre-school together. I remember seeing her, along with her two beautiful daughters and wonderful husband, Dylan, walking their kids to school every morning, together, as a happy family. Shirael had a beautiful smile, one that sparkled and brightened my day.

“While I had a wonderful friendship with Shirael, in hindsight I never really knew her until after she was diagnosed with stomach cancer about two years ago. I learned about this tragic circumstance from a beautifully written post by Shirael, letting her friends know about her dire health condition.

“It is only then, when you bear witness to someone confronted with their own mortality, that you truly get to know the inner core of a human being, who somebody really is. I don’t remember the exact words of Shirael’s first post and the many after, but I do know this: Shirael, when in the face of darkness, in the face of literally of the fight for her own life, did not respond with fear, anger or bitterness. Instead, she rose to the challenge, committed to taking on this battle, and she beat it back with courage, grace and optimism.

“It was her response to this challenge that showed Shirael was not like most of us. Shirael was special. She had a courageous soul. She loved life. She was a fighter. She was the living embodiment of a strong and beautiful human being. This became evident to so many of us in how Shirael responded to the challenge of her life.

“Our Creator does not bless us with people like Shirael very often. Hoboken was very lucky to have her. But the legacy Shirael left behind should not be defined the last two years in her battle against cancer. As long as I knew her, Shirael was always a fighter. A fighter for a kinder and fairer world. She was dedicated to our public schools and uplifting our vision for access to a quality and equal education for all of Hoboken’s children. Shirael and Dylan could have very easily sent their kids to private school, or left Hoboken for the suburbs. But that was not in Shirael’s nature. She was a true visionary and a real leader. We had many discussions over morning coffee about the public schools, and how we can bring additional resources to support public education in Hoboken. In advocating for our public schools, Shirael did not see a challenge and abandon it or take a path of lesser resistance. She took this challenge head on, led by example, and in the course of her life was a driving force in realizing our community’s ambition for the best public education possible for our children in Hoboken.

“Shirael was an inspiration to me. Knowing her and the way she reacted to adversity is a lesson for all of us. She was a role model to me, and knowing her has made me a better person. She exemplified the type of resilience, pride and fighting spirit that is borne in the psyche of so many in our community in Hoboken. She made Hoboken a much better place, and we will never forget her. Shirael’s memory and spirit of grace and dignity in the face of adversity is something we can all learn from and celebrate in the years and decades to come. Let’s come together as a community, as we always do in difficult times, to keep Shirael in our memory, and through living by the example she set for all of us.”

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