Sarah Bavly

Sarah Bavly (, also spelled Sara Bavli) (October 18, 1900 – 1993) was a Dutch–Israeli nutritionist, educator, researcher, and author. Having immigrated from the Netherlands to British Mandatory Palestine in 1926, she became the chief dietitian for Hadassah hospitals and head of Hadassah's school lunch program. Her 1939 book Tzunatenu (Our Nutrition) was a standard elementary-school textbook for nearly 30 years. She founded and directed the Institute of Nutrition Education in 1952 and was founder and dean of the College of Nutrition and Home Economics in Jerusalem from 1953 to 1965. After her retirement, she continued to engage in research and conducted periodic nutrition surveys for the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics.

Early life and education Sarah Bavly was born in Amsterdam to Nathan and Lina-Leah Bavly. She was the youngest of five children in a religious Jewish family. She and her siblings all belonged to the Zionist youth movement, and all made aliyah to Palestine between 1919 and 1926. was reprinted in 1972 by AMS Press.

In 1950 she founded and served as director of the Institute of Nutrition Education, a research institute underwritten by Hadassah. Hadassah transferred the Institute to the State of Israel in 1952.

In the 1950s the Ministry of Education and Culture took over the management of the Hadassah school lunch program and home economics courses, with Bavly serving as head of the Ministry's Nutrition Department. In 1953, under the Ministry's auspices, Bavly helped found the College of Nutrition and Home Economics in Jerusalem, a teacher training college for nutritionists who would work in hospitals, clinics, schools, and retirement homes. She became the college's full-time dean in 1960. The College operated independently until 1981.

Bavly retired from the College of Nutrition and Home Economics in 1965. She continued to engage in research and conducted periodic nutrition surveys for the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. She made pottery as a hobby and was recognized for her artistic talent by the Jerusalem House of Design. In 1984 the Jerusalem Municipality named her an honorary Citizen of Jerusalem.

Other activities Bavly served on several government commissions, including those concerning poverty and the teaching of home economics. She was a frequent speaker at international meetings and congresses.

Personal life Bavly married Dr. Yehuda Meir Bromberg (1902–1943), accountant-general of Hadassah, in April 1930. Bromberg later became assistant director-general of the Hadassah Medical Organization in Palestine. The couple had one son and one daughter.

She died in 1993. Her papers are stored in File A520 at the Central Zionist Archives in Jerusalem.

Selected publications