Zosia Mercer OAM z'I

Zosia Mercer was born in Poland in 1922 and came to Australia in 1948, having survived the War under the Germans in Poland and detention in a slave labour camp in the sub-Arctic circle of the Soviet Union.

She joined WIZO in Melbourne in 1958 and from 1965 to 1971 she served three terms of office as President of WIZO Yarkon.

Her first position on the WIZO State Executive was in the Department of Publicity. In 1970, when the headquarters of the Australian Federation of WIZO moved to Melbourne, she was elected Chairman of Organization, both on the State and Federal level, a position she held for 13 years. As Chairman of Organization she visited all Australian States and helped to organize the State Councils and Groups.

Zosia became President of the WIZO State Council of Victoria in 1974 and served for 7 years.

On her retirement from the Presidency, a playground in the Raya Jaglom Day Care Centre in Tel Aviv was named in her honour.

In recognition of her many years of distinguished service to the Zionist Movement, she was awarded the prestigious Chaim Weizmann Award.

In April 1984 Zosia became the first woman to be elected President of the State Zionist Council of Victoria. She was also Senior Vice President of the Zionist Federation of Australia.

In May 1989 Zosia was elected President of the Australian Federation, a position she held until her death in 1997. Over the years she also served as Executive Member of the Victorian Jewish Board of Deputies, Councillor of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, a member of the Bialik College Council, and Honorary Vice President of the United Israel Appeal’s Women’s Division.

She has represented WIZO and the Zionist Movement in congresses, conferences and plenary sessions in Australia and Israel. In January 1995 she was named a Member of the Order of Australia for her services to the Jewish Community.