“The dedication of the Fagin Holocaust Collection at the Cook Library of New College. I considered this event to have been one of the proudest legacies of my professional and personal life and called it ‘my last hurrah’- hoping that this important honor would culminate my decades-long road to giving meaning to my survival by enlightening generations of students about the evils of genocide and prejudices of any kind, any place in the universe. Thus, the Helen Fagin Collection has been dedicated not only to the study of the Holocaust, but also to issues of global Genocide and Humanitarian Studies. This, indeed, was surely to become my final legacy.” (HF, 2011 Commencement Address to NCF)
Dr. Helen N. Fagin born on February 1, 1918, in Radomsko, Poland, was a Holocaust survivor, educator, and advocate whose life and work left an indelible mark on Holocaust education and memory.
She passed away on March 13, 2022, in Sarasota, Florida, at the age of 104.
Early Life and Holocaust Survival
Helen was a second-year student at Jagiellonian University in Kraków when World War II began. Her parents were deported to the Treblinka concentration camp, where they perished. Helen and her two sisters survived the war by spending five years in ghettos and hiding, often separated but eventually reunited.
She was liberated by Soviet forces on February 14, 1945. Afterward, she spent time in displaced persons camps in Austria and Germany before emigrating to the United States in 1946.
Academic Career and Advocacy
Helen earned a doctorate in English from the University of Miami, where she became a professor and director of the Judaic Studies Program. She developed a pioneering curriculum on Holocaust literature and was instrumental in establishing the Holocaust Memorial in Miami Beach and the Florida Holocaust Museum in St. Petersburg.
In 1993, she moved to Sarasota, where she continued her advocacy for Holocaust education. She served on the committee that created the World War II Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., at the request of President Bill Clinton.
Legacy and Honors
In Sarasota, the Dr. Helen N. Fagin Holocaust, Genocide, and Human Rights Collection at New College of Florida’s Jane Bancroft Cook Library stands as a testament to her dedication to education and remembrance. The collection includes books, documentaries, and other historical materials related to the Holocaust.
Her daughter, Judith, established the Dr. Helen N. Fagin Holocaust Education Endowment Fund at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum to honor her mother’s legacy.
Helen Fagin’s life was a powerful narrative of survival, resilience, and commitment to ensuring that the horrors of the Holocaust are never forgotten. Through her teaching, advocacy, and the institutions she helped establish and played a crucial role in educating future generations about the importance of tolerance and human rights.
Preserving a Legacy
Lowy Holocaust, Genocide and Human Rights Collection Internship Program
Fiona W. is the Fagin Collection Archival Project Intern, and has been working on appraising, arranging, and processing the collection since October of 2024. She is a third year thesising student at New College of Florida with a joint AOC in Humanities and Russian Language and Literature, and is planning to graduate in Spring of 2025. This internship is made possible through a generous donation from Susan Lowy.
Mellon Grant Fagin Fellowship
During the spring of 2025, nine New College students have been working to preserve electronic resources by converting and digitizing VHS tapes, cassette tapes, microfilm, and DVDs. They have also created comprehensive metadata to enhance the discoverability and accessibility of the collection.
Further Preservation
- Continuation of conversions from analog to digital
- Digitize photographs, documents, and newspapers
- Translate documents and speeches
- Make all open access materials available through New College of Florida’s online digital repository that is open to the public.
Donations
Dr. Helen N. Fagin once said, “The survivor of the Holocaust is never finished with the Holocaust,” and Helen dedicated her life to educate the world about her experiences so that humankind did not repeat the atrocities of the past. Help us to preserve and continue her legacy by donating to our mission. In the top right corner, click the “GIVE” button and type “Fagin Collection” in the comment box.
New College Foundation
The Keating Center
5800 Bay Shore Road
Sarasota, FL 34243
For more information about supporting the collection, call the Foundation at 941-487-4800 or email [email protected] . Thank you for your interest.
- USC Shoah Foundation Institute Interview with Dr. Helen Fagin Feb. 11, 1996
- More about Human Rights Day
- NCF SETSAIL Student Created Website
