Today, we dedicated two of our classrooms at BGSP in recognition of some very generous gifts to the School. “Classroom 3” is now known as the “Sirull Room” in honor of Bella Sirull. “Classroom 4” is now known as the “Margolis Room” in honor of Benjamin and Deborah Margolis.
We are very grateful to be able to recognize their gifts by dedicating these classrooms in honor of some very special people.
The Sirull Room, dedicated to Bella Sirull
In the early 1900’s, as a young girl, Bella Sirull emigrated to Boston from Russia. During the Great Depression, she was widowed, left with 2 young girls to raise on her own. A bright, funny, loving daughter, mother and grandmother, she knew much about mental illness. Her mother was institutionalized at mid-life where she remained until her death. Bella, herself, suffered from major depression and was in and out of institutions, undergoing shock therapy on multiple occasions until her death. Had she been of a different class, perhaps she would have had the opportunity to have been analyzed. It would have helped her. She liked to talk. Bella would have greatly benefited from BGSP and its mission. The donors are proud to have her name on the wall of this institution. In honoring her, they hope to give access to people like Bella who otherwise would not have access to quality mental health care. BGSP is also proud and very grateful to dedicate Classroom 3 to Bella Sirull.
The Margolis Room, dedicated to Benjamin and Deborah Margolis
Benjamin Margolis and Deborah Pessin met as teenaged Hebrew school teachers in New York City. They later said that they fell in love in front of a bulletin board. Sixteen-year-old Benjamin turned to fifteen-year-old Deborah and said, “What beautiful eyes you have.” It was the start of a life partnership that lasted almost 80 years.
Benjamin and Deborah were both the children of immigrants, and they struggled as children, with poverty and other deprivations. Their closeness to each other helped them to heal and grow throughout their lives, in their careers, and as parents and grandparents. Benjamin grew up on New York’s Lower East Side, the rebellious and intellectual son of religious parents. His father worked as a tailor. There was not always enough food. The conflicts he experienced led him as a young man to a personal psychoanalysis and later to a career as a practitioner. Eventually, he became a founding member of the Center for Modern Psychoanalytic Studies (CMPS) and a contributor of theoretical psychoanalytic writings.
Deborah was raised in Massachusetts. Her mother died in an accident before she was a year old. Her father was a rabbi, whom Deborah idolized, but lost to appendicitis when she was 11. Following his death, Deborah was sent by her stepmother to live with cousins in New York. It was a large and chaotic family where Deborah, a quiet and studious girl, felt overwhelmed. She was drawn to books, and her first career was as a writer of non-fiction. Her relationship with Benjamin drew her to psychoanalysis and training at CMPS, where she eventually became a faculty member. Both Benjamin and Deborah Margolis wrote many influential articles in modern psychoanalysis, many on BGSP’s course syllabi. They have had a profound impact on the learning of a few generations of psychoanalysts. The donor is proud to honor them by naming a classroom in their memory, and BGSP is also proud and very grateful to dedicate Classroom 4 to Benjamin and Deborah Margolis.
