Miriam Roth

Miriam Roth was born in 1910 in Nové Zámky

Miriam Roth was born in 1910 in Nové Zámky, then in Austria-Hungary and today in Slovakia. Her parents were Hella and Yaakov Roth, and her father ran the town's Jewish school. As a young woman she was active in the Hashomer Hatzair youth movement.

She studied psychology and pedagogy before she moved to the Land of Israel in 1931. There she studied at Seminar HaKibbutzim and at the Hebrew University. In 1960 she went to New York to study education, and she later earned a master's degree there.

In 1937 she was among the founders of Kibbutz Sha'ar HaGolan, where she worked as a kindergarten teacher. She trained teachers at Seminar HaKibbutzim and at Oranim and wrote textbooks on early childhood education. Her parents, two sisters and two nieces were sent to Auschwitz during the Holocaust.

Roth began writing for children later in life. Her first children's book, "A Tale of Five Balloons", appeared in 1974, followed by books such as "Yael's House" and "Hot Corn". Her books focused on the feelings and experiences of children.

She was married to Pesach Ivry, who died in 1978, and she raised 3 sons. She received the Bialik Prize in 2002. She died in 2005 at Kibbutz Sha'ar HaGolan.