Dr. Hanita Zimrin 1945-2021
Dr. Hanita Zimrin
Dr. Hanita Zimrin was born and raised in Jerusalem. After receiving BSW and MSW degrees from Hebrew University, she became the first person in Israel to be awarded a Ph.D. in Social Work.. She was a professor of Social Work at Tel Aviv University for many years, heading the school’s Children and Youth Unit.
Hanita devoted her doctoral work to the issue of child abuse, a field which hadn’t yet been acknowledged let alone developed. Despite her carefully documenting the existence of child abuse in her dissertation and her tireless efforts to shed light on the issue, Hanita found that government officials and others were not willing to take action or responsibility for dealing with the problem. In fact, she was accused of making up stories of abuse, and was told that Jewish mothers don’t do such things. Thus, in 1979 Hanita founded ELI, believing it was her only alternative – to the benefit of the thousands of children she and ELI helped over the years!
Widely regarded as a leading authority in Israel and throughout the world, Hanita is renowned for developing the language and field of child abuse. The impact of her groundbreaking work is global, as she trained countless professionals and traveled on behalf of Israel’s Foreign Ministry to share her expertise in third world countries.Hanita was the author of four books, and of a number of book chapters and professional articles. She received public recognition multiple times for her exceptional career. Her many awards included: the Henrietta Szold Prize for “exceptional contributions to child protection in Israel;” the Israel President’s Award for Volunteer Work; the Prime Minister’s Award for Lifetime Activity on behalf of Children in Israel; and the prestigious Distinguished Career Award from the International Society for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect, which cited her remarkable achievements in Israel and her worldwide contributions to the field.
Hanita was appointed to Israel’s Advisory Council for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs through which she led educational seminars, political gatherings, and scientific committees throughout the world on the subject of child protection and welfare. She also organized and chaired numerous international conferences in addition to delivering keynote addresses.
In her 40+ years of leading ELI, Hanita’s accomplishments in the area of child protection are truly exceptional, and we are all grateful to continue her legacy.