State Senator Loretta Weinberg of Teaneck, a long-time friend of the community, presented the award at a dinner honoring the couple on Monday evening.
The Spiegels are well-known residents who have always found a way to make their mark serving community needs in a variety of ways. Since they have such a long and distinguished record of service, it is particularly appropriate they are the first to be recognized.
The award was created by the Leonia Democratic Municipal Committee to reward and foster volunteerism, and to inspire and encourage others who might also want a life of community service.
Among their activities, the Spiegels are active in the Community of Friends in Action, which works to help day laborers living in the area in a variety of ways , collecting wages from employers who often won’t pay them, providing lunches, helping with better work opportunities, and giving ESL classes and OSHA training as well as advocating immigration reform.
They are well known for their years of activism with the peace movement, and can be seen demonstrating regularly with the Weekly Peace Vigil. The also participate in Peace in Leonia; the Women’s Strike for Peace; and the Peace Project for the Children of Leonia, among others.
Ellie Spiegel was elected to the Board of Education in its first open election in 1969 and was instrumental in founding the Alternative High School; she was invited to plan the establishment of Thomas A. Edison State College, a pioneer in external degree programs, where she served as trustee for 12 years.
She was a volunteer and then staff member of New Jersey’s Fair Housing Committee; administrative assistant to State Senator Byron Baer; a founding member of Leonia’s Human Relations Committee and served on the Board of Human Services.
Hans Spiegel was the borough’s representative to the Bergen County Community Development Program; chaired an advocacy group for moderate income housing in Leonia; has been a board member of Bergen County Habitat for Humanity and also the county Urban League Development Corp; and a faculty member of the Leonia Alternative High School.
He was Deputy Assistant Commissioner of Urban Planning to both the Kennedy and Johnson administrations; and served on the faculty of the Urban Affairs and Planning Departments of Hunter College (CUNY), Columbia and the University of Pennsylvania.
