The Lampert Library has lost two staunch supporters in the last few months: Herman Gollob and Jerry Weiss.
Herman Gollob’s recent passing leaves a real void in the Lampert Library’s friends. Herman was a well-known editor who began his career as a theatrical and literary agent. He moved over to publishers such as Little Brown, Harpers Magazine, the Literary Guild, Atheneum and Doubleday where he was editor-in-chief.
Shomrei’s Herman was, indeed, a big shot in the publishing world. But to Shomrei members he was the guy who had his bar mitzvah at the age of 53, the participant in Torah study who wasn’t shy about voicing his opinions, the person who encouraged Shomrei’s nascent writers, and the man whose southern manners could charm anyone when he wished to.
At Shomrei, Herman served as chair of the library committee for several years. But more importantly, Herman used his contacts in the literary world to bring outstanding authors to Shomrei as part of the Lampert Library Lecture series.