Thursday, October 1, 2026
Longtime Cedarhurst resident Helen Pollack is celebrating her 100th birthday surrounded by family and friends.
Born on Jan. 28, 1926 in Brooklyn, Pollack attended Samuel J. Tilden High School. She then went to the City College of New York and received masters from Columbia University and Teacher’s College.
After graduating with her masters, she went on to teach at her alma mater Samuel J. Tilden High School. She has three children, three grandchildren and two great grandchildren.
“I have no real reason for living to 100,” Pollack said. “I can’t tell you that I did exercise, I didn’t I didn’t drink and I didn’t smoke, those were the only two assets I could say.”
Pollack said she always has a plan for the next day, which includes her biggest passion, knitting.
She also serves on the board of the Five Towns Early Learning Center in Inwood and still attends meetings.
“I’ve been very active there for over 35 years,” she said. “It’s a wonderful facility for 55 children, 20 teachers and a beautiful garden to play in.”
Among being on the board, she worked at the Peninsula Public Library giving knitting lessons to residents.
“I have known Helen for my entire 18 year career at the library,” Peninsula Public Library Director Carolynn Matulewicz wrote in an email. “I recall her fantastic knitting skills and she has made many beautiful creations for staff and their babies over the years.”
Pollack loves to read and receives her book deliveries from the library on a weekly basis.
“She is a big library supporter and has made many donations supporting library staff sponsoring staff appreciation luncheons,” Matulewicz wrote. “This a pleasure having lifelong patrons who love and support their public library. She is a remarkable woman and so very blessed to be here for 100 years.”
Volunteering is very important to Pollack as she was very active with the National Council of Jewish Women Peninsula Section and the National Yiddish Book Center in Amherst, Massachusetts.
“I collected Yiddish books for them for 40 years,” Pollack added. “I’ve done a lot of things and I’m interested in the community.”
She has lived in the Five Towns for 55 years and is a member of Temple Beth El in Cedarhurst for over 50 years.
Rhonnie Fischman, 76, a fellow congregant became friends with Pollack during the pandemic when she would visit her in rehab.
“Our friendship developed over the years and every Saturday after temple I bring her food from Kiddush and we sit and chat,” Fischman said. “We talk on the phone everyday and discuss books.”
Fischman said that Pollack knows what she wants from life and always knows how to get it.
“Our friendship means a lot to me because it spans different generations,” she said. “My mother would have been 100 and I learn from Helen all the time, just like I would from my mother.”
Fischman serves on the board of the Five Towns Five Towns Early Learning Center alongside Pollack and being apart of it has enriched her life.
“Helen is a real life lesson in what kindness can do,” Fischman said. “Seeing her makes me feel lucky and I’m planning to be like her when I’m older.”
Pollack will be hosting an open house dessert party at her residence on Jan. 25 to commemorate her 100th birthday.
“People who know me will come and say hello,” Pollack said. “I will be happy to see people from the present and from the past. Volunteering has kept me alive it’s a wonderful way of life.”
