Popper Lilli (born Zadek)

Lilli Popper (née Zadek) was born in 1893 in Berlin and died in 1969 in the Israeli city of Holon. She was the daughter of Julia, who worked in adult education and was the sister of Edward Bernstein, a well-known member of the German Social Democratic Party (SPD). Another brother, Walter Zadek, was an acclaimed socialist, journalist and the editor of the newspaper Berliner Tageblatt in Berlin, and later became a highly-respected photographer in Tel Aviv. His wife was Jetty Zadek, who was also a German-Jewish social worker. Lilli was a graphic designer, having studied at the Kunstgewerbeschule arts and crafts school in Berlin with Käthe Kollwitz. She also worked as a teacher and a social worker. Lilli was a member of the Oley Zion movement in Germany and was affiliated with central figures in the Zionist movement, such as Siegfried Lehmann, Martin Buber, Berl Katzenelson and others. Lilli became attracted to the Jüdisches Volksheim, the Jewish community center founded in Berlin by Siegfried Lehmann, where she also met members of the Zionist Socialist movement. One of them was Zalman Shazar, later to become President of the State of Israel. After her immigration to Palestine in 1920, Lili worked in agriculture and managed Beit Chaluzot, a home for pioneer girls in Tel Aviv. Later, she became a kindergarten teacher and a social worker, working in a number of locations, including an orphanage in Sheffia. She participated in Moezet Poalot, the women's workers movement, and in the Histadruth Imahot Ovdot, an organization for working mothers. During the 1950s, Lili headed the department of social work in the city of Holon. After her retirement, she continued to volunteer, working with the needy and giving English and Hebrew lessons to youth and adults. Throughout her life, she was also well-known as a graphic designer and illustrator of children’s books. In addition to being a member of Israel’s Mapai party, she wrote articles for the feminist socialist journal, Dvar Hapoelet, for many years.