Tania Saks z'l

Tania Saks nee Rotenfeld was born in Donetsk Russia (now Ukraine) in 1897. She died in Melbourne Australia in 1989.

Tania was one of very few Jewish girls accepted to University where she studied dentistry and became a dentist. Tania married Wolf Saks in Dniepropertrovsk and had two children - Hala Goldstone and Israel Saks.

In 1922 they fled the pogroms and made it to Palestine where they lived for seven years. They then came to live in Melbourne in 1929.

Both Tania and her husband Wolf were passionate Zionists and were involved in starting up IVRIAH (the first Jewish Sunday school in Melbourne). IVRIAH then became Bialik College, of which they were foundation members.

Tania joined WIZO in the 1930s and was a founding member of WIZO Negba in the late 1940s . She devoted her life to WIZO eventually becoming State Treasurer and then Federal Treasurer for ten years, and Chairman of Fundraising for many years.

She was the recipient of every honour WIZO could bestow upon her, including being made an Honorary Life Member of WIZO Australia and receiving the Rebecca Sieff award ( as did her daughter Hala Goldstone).

Tania and her daughter Hala and her daughter-in-law Rae Saks as well as her two granddaughters, Marian Krongold and Evelyn Fremder ( founding members of Wizo Ziona), were the first 3 generations of WIZO in Australia.

Tania and her co-founding members of WIZO Negba remained the closest of friends till their respective passing. She also had long lasting friendships through her daughter, Hala's closest friends through their passionate love for Zionism and WIZO. They included Martha Jacobson and Yvonne Coopersmith. They were a formidable group of passionate women the likes of which WIZO are unlikely to see again.