Barbara Elefant-Raiskin

Barbara Elefant-Raiskin was born in 1930 in Mukachevo

Elefant-Raiskin was born in Mukachevo, then part of Czechoslovakia, to Joseph-Meir and Sarah Elefant. Her father was an Orthodox rabbi and teacher. In 1936 the family moved to Ada, Serbia, where they became stateless after Hungary took over their home region.

In 1939 the family emigrated to the United States, staying in England for several months on the way. In Liverpool, photographer John Albok took a picture of her asleep on a suitcase, and it appeared in newspapers.

She studied at Brooklyn College and NYU and held degrees in education, Judaism, history, art and psychology. She worked as a kindergarten teacher at Jewish institutions, last at the East Side Hebrew Institute. In 1957 she married Rabbi Max Raiskin and began teaching history in high schools.

After some years raising her 8 children and completing a doctorate, she immigrated to Israel in 1973. She lectured at Tel Aviv University for nearly 25 years and wrote two textbooks there. She also wrote and illustrated children's books in English and Hebrew.

She died on June 18, 2013, and was buried in Kiryat Shaul Cemetery in Tel Aviv.