Adela Goldman z'l

Adela Goldman was born in Miechow, Poland in 1927 to Isaac and Celia Brauner. Her first birthday was celebrated on the ship to Australia. After a brief period in Melbourne, the Brauner family moved to Brisbane.

Adela's mother Celia was a stalwart from the early days of WIZO in Queensland which was established 1936. After Celia and Isaac moved to the Gold Coast in the late 1950s, Adela founded the first Gold Coast WIZO group, WIZO Nahariyah, in 1959. In 1952, Adela became one of the foundation members of the newly formed WIZO Hasharon, a group focused on young marrieds.

Adela’s children remember from their earliest years, their Mother's prodigious baking for WIZO functions and stalls.

In 1960, WIZO Hadassim merged with WIZO Hasharon to form WIZO Hadassim-Sharon, and Adela, over the years, filled every position from Secretary to President, a position she held for the rest of her lifetime.

From 1994 to 1999, Adela made a significant contribution as WIZO State President, Queensland. In her final address to WIZO State Council, as President, she said: “the world may change around us but our feelings for Israel, our commitment to WIZO, our faith in Australia, remain constant. The feeling in our hearts remains the same. The sure knowledge that a safe and strong Israel means security for us in the Diaspora and means security for our children around the world…. I know that with the help of us all, WIZO will continue to be known as the caring face of Zionism, the very special organisation we have all grown to love and respect, here in Queensland and throughout Australia and the world”.

Adela was strongly committed to WIZO youth projects in Israel, especially WIZO Ahuzat Yeladim on Mount Carmel in Haifa, a residential boarding school for disadvantaged youth. She visited there on her trips to Israel.

In her later years, WIZO Hadassim-Sharon meetings were held at the retirement home she and Ellis moved to in 2004. Ellis became an honorary WIZO Hadassim-Sharon member. Adela continued to run the meetings there in the boardroom right up until she passed away in 2010 at the age of 83.