Awards & Scholarships

 Student Awards & Scholarships

We are delighted to announce the opening of the 2024-25 Awards & Scholarship Program sponsored by the HHRC. Below are descriptions of the opportunities with links to the applications on our website. We would appreciate it if you could help us spread the word about this important tradition: If you know a student who is interested, please let them know. This is an integral piece of our education offerings and a meaningful way to honor the mission and vision of those who created the HHRC 39 years ago. The awards ask students to think deeply about their personal experiences relating to the Holocaust and human rights, encouraging self reflection and commitment to the values we uphold and teach. The deadline to submit is December 1, 2024.  

The Lawrence Alan Spiegel Remembrance Scholarship

The Spiegel Scholarship ($1,000) is awarded annually to the high school senior who authors the prize-winning, original essay on the prompt: “Learning about the Holocaust affected my view of the world and it is important for others to learn about it too.” Criteria: originality of voice and viewpoint, structure, command of language and mechanics. The photo is of Brooke Chase, the 2023 Spiegel Award Recipient. Apply here.

The Mathilde Schlossberger Outstanding Student of the Year Award

The Schlossberger Award recognizes an exceptional piece of original writing, fiction or non-fiction, or an unusually expressive piece of visual or performance art relating to human rights. The award was created by Florence and Kurt Strauss of Portland in memory of Kurt’s maternal grandmother, who was murdered at Theresienstadt. Apply here.

Past Recipients

Gerda Haas Award
for Excellence in Human Rights Education and Leadership

Every year our Board nominates the Gerda Haas Award recipients

Gerda Haas, founding mother of the Holocaust and Human Rights Center of Maine, has inspired many with her passion for human rights education. A Holocaust survivor originally from Germany, Gerda learned that students weren’t being taught about the Holocaust in Maine schools. Gerda not only identified a critical educational void, she took action to rectify it. The Holocaust and Human Rights Center welcomes the opportunity to recognize and honor an individual who, like Gerda Haas, has demonstrated excellence and initiative in human rights education and leadership.

2024 Gerda Haas Award Recipient

The HHRC is delighted to announce that Lois Galgay Reckitt is the 2024 recipient of the Gerda Haas Award for Excellence in Human Rights Education and Leadership. celebrated her posthumously at our Annual Meeting on September 5th. Lois was known as a powerful activist, working on behalf of oppressed, vulnerable and marginalized people throughout her adult life. Lois was committed to making sure that all people were treated with respect and dignity; and she would say, that there is still much work to be done in making sure that everyone is treated fairly and that equality and safety are afforded to all people. From 1984 to 1987, Lois served as executive vice president of the National Organization for Women in Washington, D.C. and then deputy director of the Human Rights Campaign Fund. Back in Maine, Lois became co-founder of the Human Rights Campaign Fund, the Maine Coalition for Human Rights, the Maine Women’s Lobby, and the first Maine chapter of the National Organization for Women. She established the Family Crisis Shelter in Portland and successfully lobbied to protect victims of domestic abuse, leading to the passage of several bills. Lois served in the House of Representatives from 2016 until her death in 2023, where she fought to pass the Equal Rights Amendment in the Maine Constitution. Lois was inducted into the Maine Women’s Hall of Fame in 1998.

2024 Spiegel Award Recipient

Cohen Parker is our 2024 Spiegel Award Recipient. Cohen grew up in Augusta with his parents, two older brothers, and younger sister. He is honored to have been selected for the Spiegel Award and is looking forward to meeting the HHRC community at the Annual Meeting. Says Cohen, “I have always had a passion for helping others and knew that I wanted to pursue a career that would allow me to do that on a daily basis. I will be attending Husson University in the fall majoring in criminal justice with a focus on psychology.” Cohen’s essay explores how personal, and difficult, it was for him to learn about, and then study, the Holocaust at Cony High School. He writes, “The sheer scale of human suffering and the systematic dehumanization of millions of innocent lives during the Holocaust shook me to my core. … However, amidst the darkness of this period, there were shining examples of courage and resilience that restored my faith in humanity.” Read his full essay here.

Past Award Honorees