Esther Herlitz facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Esther Herlitz
Faction represented in the Knesset
1974–1977	Alignment
1979–1981	Alignment
Personal details
Born	9 October 1921 Berlin, Germany
Died	24 March 2016(2016-03-24) (aged 94)

Esther Herlitz (Hebrew: אסתר הרליץ) was a very important Israeli diplomat and politician. She was born on October 9, 1921, in Berlin, Germany. Herlitz became famous for being Israel's first female ambassador. She served as the ambassador to Denmark starting in 1966. She was also a member of the Knesset, which is Israel's parliament. She served there from 1973 to 1977, and again from 1979 to 1981.

Early Life and Education

Esther Herlitz was born in Berlin, Germany, in 1921. When she was 12 years old, in 1933, her family moved to Mandatory Palestine. This area is now known as Israel. Her father, George Herlitz, was a historian. He started the Central Zionist Archives in Jerusalem.

Esther went to high school in Jerusalem. She studied at the Gymnasia Rehavia and later at the Hebrew University Secondary School. She also trained to be a teacher. Later, she studied at a special school for diplomats.

Military Service and Diplomacy

Esther Herlitz joined the Haganah, which was a Jewish defense organization. She worked as a recruiter at a training camp. Later, she became an officer in the British Army. After that, she served in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

In 1947, Esther was chosen to join a new school for diplomats. This school was set up by the Jewish Agency for Israel. However, she had to pause her studies because of the 1947–1949 Palestine war. During this war, she helped defend Jerusalem from attacks.

After the war ended in 1948, her mentor, Moshe Sharett, asked her to work for him. He was the Minister for Foreign Affairs. Even though she wasn't officially discharged from the army, she was allowed to work as a minister. She helped with important talks, like the agreement for reparations (payments for damages) from West Germany. She also met Eleanor Roosevelt, who was the First Lady of the United States, and they became friends.

Political Career

In 1950, Esther Herlitz became the First Secretary at the Israeli embassy in Washington, D.C.. She worked with important people like Abba Eban and Chaim Herzog. Later, she moved to New York. From 1955 to 1958, she worked for the State's council and was a visiting consul in Boston.

From 1958 to 1962, Herlitz helped create and lead the International Department of Mapai. Mapai was a major political party in Israel. She also directed public relations for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Herlitz was also a member of the Tel Aviv City Council. She led its culture committee from 1960 to 1964. During this time, she helped set up Beit Ariela, a public library. She also helped start reading classes for immigrant women and women with lower incomes.

In 1962, she returned to the Foreign Ministry. After working under Golda Meir, she became head of the Guest Department. This job involved taking care of visitors from other countries. Two years later, she became head of the Information Department. Her goal was to create a good image for Israel around the world.

Esther Herlitz was the first woman to lead the ministry's staff committee. She later resigned to run for the Knesset in 1965 with the Mapai party. Although her party didn't win that election, she returned to her diplomatic duties. She became Israel's first female ambassador, serving in Denmark until 1971.

In 1972, she started the Centre for Volunteer Services. The next year, she was elected to the Knesset as part of the Alignment party. After the Yom Kippur War, Herlitz became the first woman to serve on the Committee for Foreign Affairs and Defense. This committee usually had only men. She discussed important events like Operation Entebbe, which was a mission to rescue Israeli hostages in Uganda.

She served in the Knesset until 1977. She lost her seat in the elections that year. However, she returned to the Knesset in 1979 to replace someone who had passed away. She then lost her seat again in the 1981 elections.

Between 1977 and 1981, Herlitz worked as the secretary for the Tel Aviv branch of Na'amat. This is a large women's organization in Israel.

Awards and Recognition

Throughout her life, Esther Herlitz received many awards and honors:

• In 1996, she received the Shield for Voluntarism. She was also named a Distinguished Citizen of Tel Aviv.
• In 1999, she received an honorary degree from Hebrew Union College.
• In 2003, she received the Woman of Distinction Award from Hadassah.
• In 2015, she was given the prestigious Israel Prize. This award recognized her "unique contribution to society and the state."

See also

• Denmark–Israel relations