Nathan, Thea Else (born Meyerowitz)

Picture
Courtesy
ca. 1950, courtesy of Hannah Uriel
Hebrew-Name
תיאה (אלזה) נתן-מאירוביץ'
Biography
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.
Mother
Bertha Meyerowitz (née Mottek) (1878, Posen, Poland - around 1958, U.S.). Emigrated to Palestine in 1936.
Father
Julius Meyerowitz (1860, Kowno, Lithuania - 1953, U.S.). Grew up in a German orphanage and studied pharmacy. Emigrated to Palestine in 1936.
Siblings
Lotte Tuch (born 1901), a sewer. Emigrated to the U.S.
Hans Meyerowitz (1902-1970), a pharmacist. Emigrated to Palestine in 1936.
Hilde Matsdorf (born 1906), also a social worker. Emigrated to Australia and in her 70th year of age to Israel.
Trude Victor (born 1907), a gymnastics teacher. Emigrated to the U.S.
Friedel Guttmann (born 1912), a druggist. Emigrated to South Africa.
Marriage/Children
Thea married Max Nathan in 1937 and had a daughter (born 1947).
Age at Migration
27
Year of Migration
1935
Archival Materials
Municipal archives, Tel Aviv; Central Zionist Archives, Jerusalem
Other Sources
Christiansen, Ursula: Interview with Thea Nathan (1998, German); several articles in Israeli Journals (Saad, Dvar hapoelet); Jpress (daily Hebrew press), Ellger-Rüttgardt, Sieglind (1996): Verloren und Un-Vergessen. Weinheim.