Hershel Herzberg

1934 - 2020

Hershel Z. Herzberg
February 4, 1934 - November 20, 2020
Passed away after a long cancer battle, but surrounded by love 11/20. Hershel Zelig Herzberg was born in San Francisco, CA to parents Samuel and Eva Herzberg, and had two older brothers, David, and Mendel. He graduated from Lowell High School and served in the 287th Field Artillery Unit of the US Army in Germany from 1957-59, and was stationed in Munich calculating the trajectory of big guns should Russia invade, and lived in the SS Headquarters in Dachau. He served in the US Army Reserves from 1959-1963
After serving his time in the US Army, Hershel joined the first volunteer group of the Peace Corps in 1961 in Nigeria where he taught history, English, and literature to Nigerian high school students. He met another Peace Corps volunteer, Dorothy Crews, whom he married and had three children in San Francisco. He trained future Peace Corps volunteers at UC Berkeley and Morehouse College.
Hershel received his BA in Political Science at UC Berkeley, an MA in History from San Francisco State, a General Secondary Teaching Credential from San Francisco State University, and an Educational Credential from UC Berkeley. His teaching career in the San Mateo County School District spanned almost 50 years including 34 years at Crestmoor and Capuchino High Schools and 15 years in the School District as a Substitute Teacher. An impassioned high school teacher, he taught multiple subjects (Modern World History, US History, Geography, Government, Economics, Model UN and Advanced Placement US History and American Government).
As a mentor teacher in the School District he developed workshops for teachers about how to teach history and social science curriculum such as: World War II and the Holocaust, Multi-Cultural Curriculum (African, Asian, Latino, and Native Americans), Cooperative Learning, The Middle East, Sub-Saharan Africa, The Cold War, and Teaching History Through Drama. His workshops were highly rated and deemed extremely valuable by the participants. The teacher participant left the workshops with a variety of lesson and unit plans which they could apply to their own curricula. He wrote educational curriculum for the School District, and the State of California: Plays about History – 18 Plays and Lesson Plans about World and US History, Multi-Cultural Curriculum: The Experience of African, Asian, Latino, and Native Americans, Earth 2020: Population Growth and Ecology, Worksheets and Dictionary for an Army of Principles: A History of the American Revolution, Nigeria: Nationalism and Economic Development, Studying the Ibo Language of Nigeria Through Pictures, and Lesson Plans for Plays about Black History. He also assisted the Northern California Holocaust Center to develop curriculum on how to teach about the Holocaust in High Schools.


His students came from a variety of social and economic backgrounds and he was able to help them learn and enjoy the subjects he taught by inspiring them to creativity and excellence by providing them opportunities to express their individual differences.
Hershel was the School Improvement Program Coordinator, which led to Capuchino's Distinguished School Designation, which is awarded to only a few schools in California. He also served for four years as Assistant Principal at Capuchino, while serving as Department Head of the Social Sciences Department.
Hershel spent the last five years living independently at the Elms in San Carlos. He enjoyed eating out at Chinese restaurants, watching Warrior's games, participating in singalongs, and spending time with his family and friends. He loved attending Peninsula Sinai Congregation High Holiday and Shabbat services with his family. Hershel is survived by his three children, Samuel (Leslie), Laura and Daniel (Remedy) four grandchildren, Aliza, Talia, Isaac, and Marcus as well as his niece, Carol Kelso (John), and nephews Larry (Cheryl) and Steve (Nancy).

Hershel Herzberg's Plays About History (with lesson plans) can be found at Amazon.com.

Hershel Herzberg's Plays About History (with lesson plans) can be found at Amazon.com.

Donations in Hershel Herzberg's honor can be made to Peninsula Sinai Congregation In Foster City.