Speakers at the Zeiger reception, held at Mercer County Community College, included, from left, Marion Zeiger, MCCC President Patricia C. Donohue, author Rebecca Upjohn, Michael Zeiger and Jeff Zeiger. Funds raised will be used to establish the Shelley Zeiger Memorial Scholarship for a Mercer student studying Business. More information is available at mccc.edu/give.
Mercer County Community College (MCCC) recently hosted a reception to honor the late Shelley Zeiger and his family, the inspirations for award-winning children’s book, “The Secret of the Village Fool.” Written by Rebecca Upjohn, the book recounts the family’s rescue in Nazi-occupied Poland by an unlikely hero, Anton Suchinski, during World War II.
Author Upjohn, Zeiger’s family and friends and various community supporters were present at the event, where they learned about the family’s history and establishment of the Shelley Zeiger Memorial Scholarship Fund, to benefit MCCC students studying business.
Shelley’s wife, Marion Zeiger, spoke of the decision to establish the scholarship in her husband’s name. “We decided to partner with the college to help the community. It is a fitting tribute to be helping students fulfill their American Dream as Shelley did,” Mrs. Zeiger said. She thanked all those who attended and donated.
Shelley’s son, Jeff, noted that the establishment of the scholarship “would have meant so much to my dad. It was important to him to complete the circle of life. If you do good things, good things will come back to you,” he said. Jeff has served on the MCCC Foundation Board since 2010.
Upjohn spoke of her creative journey in writing the book. She recalled her initial concern about writing for an audience of children. “I did not want to be didactic or sentimental or too frightening- and I wanted to tell the truth,” Upjohn said.
As told in the book, the Zeiger family lived comfortably in the eastern border town of Zborow, Poland, before the rise of the Nazis and start of World War II. As the Nazis ordered the evacuation of the Jews from Zborow, a reclusive local farmer named Anton Suchinski offered shelter to the Zeigers and two orphaned girls. The six hid in a dug-out space beneath Suchinski’s root cellar for many months while the village was under Nazi occupation.
The Zeigers eventually reconnected with Anton in Zborow (which by that time was part of Ukraine), brought him to the United States to meet their extended family, and accompanied him to Israel, where he was honored at Yad Vashem as one of the Righteous Among the Nations, an official recognition to non-Jews who saved Jewish lives during the Holocaust.
“The Secret of the Village Fool” is the winner of Canada’s 2014 Silver Birch Express Award and has received strong praise for its introduction of the difficult topic of the Holocaust to younger children. (The book is suggested for ages 8+.)
For more information about supporting the Shelley Geiger Memorial Scholarship Fund and other MCCC scholarships, visit mccc.edu/give or call 570-3607.
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