Itzkovitz, Miriam (born Chotory)

Miriam Itzkovitz (née Chotory) was born in Russia and immigrated to Palestine at the age of six. The dates of her birth and death are unknown. She completed her high school studies at the prestigious Gymnasia Herzliya in Tel Aviv. Miriam studied theology and psychology for two semesters at the Sorbonne University in Paris. She later studied psychology and philosophy in Geneva, Switzerland at the Jean-Jacques-Rousseau Pedagogical Institute, where she earned her PhD. She also studied social work at the Soziale Frauenschule in Geneva. She then worked for three years at summer camps for Jewish immigrant children in France, while also engaging in social case work with the families of these children. Subsequently, she worked at the Institute Mounier in Geneva teaching and treating German-Jewish youth. Miriam received further training in other institutions in working with children with psychological and cognitive problems. The exact date of her immigration is unknown, but she lived in Hadera in 1938, where she worked in the municipal department of social work with Zipora Bloch. Later, in the 1940s, she worked as a lecturer and taught courses in psychology and pedagogy. In Tel Aviv, she taught the course “Sociology of the Oriental Jews.” In the 1950s Miriam became the head of the School of Social Work in Jerusalem where she emphasized the history and philosophy of social work in her classes. She worked closely with Siddy Wronsky, a leading social worker, and wrote articles about her. In 1963, she wrote a report on the training of social workers for rural and development areas.