Nathan, Thea Else (born Meyerowitz)

Thea Nathan (née Meyerowitz) was born on 16.4.1908 in Königsberg and died in November 1988 in Jerusalem. Thea grew up into an assimilated family. As a juvenile, she was a member of the German-Jewish youth movement ‘Kameraden’ and of the young socialists ('Jungsozialisten', SPD). After completing her studies in social work in Königsberg's mission school, she held several positions as a social worker. As such, she worked with female sex workers and German-Jewish refugees in Germany and Switzerland (after moving to Switzerland in 1933). Thea immigrated to Palestine in the year of 1935. Soon after her immigration, she continued to work with Jewish refugees from Arab countries. Later on, she became a leading figure in establishing modernized social work institutions, especially in the fields of gerontology and working with people with disabilities. Finally yet importantly, she helped to develop welfare laws in Israel. Thea Nathan was awarded with the Henrietta-Szold-Award in 1965 and became a honorary citizen of Jerusalem 'Jakir Jerushalaym' in 1988. She was married to Max Nathan and they had one daughter together.