This book was a labour of love. Meir Gottesmann, who died in December 2000, had an impact on a very wide range of people - colleagues, students, children and young people in his care - and this special issue of Child and Youth Care Forum was a tribute from his friends on the international scene.

The book is in two sections. First it contains a number of pieces written by his friends and acquaintances, including one by his widow, Shoshana. The second part contains a number of articles written by people who knew Meir well, and their contributions bear in different ways on the childcare scene and on Meir’s thinking. Meir himself wrote a lot and edited several books which are still widely quoted and, all in all, I suspect that this book is something he would have been pleased with.

I particularly liked the photograph of Meir. He is smiling broadly, and there is a slightly wicked twinkle in his eye as if he has just spotted some oddity of human behaviour and is about to come out with one of his wry but kindly observations. He had the knack of working with people who were in conflict over problems and, by joking with them, giving a suggestion here and a nudge there, he encouraged them to resolve their difficulties.

The introductory tribute is by James Anglin and Emmanuel Grupper, who were joint editors of the volume. Others are by Anne Fromann, Andras Domsky, Zvi Levy and Mordecai Arieli. Shoshana Gottesmann’s piece referred to the “family of FICE”, the international organisation in which he played a major role. It is a tribute to Meir’s magnanimity that he made friends from every country and the tributes represent many nations. When he retired from the FICE Federal Council, he commented on the warmth and friendship he had experienced in the organisation. Despite his terrible experiences as a young man, Meir remained a warm and generous person. He found FICE was a place where he could form genuinely close relationships with people of all nationalities, including Germans, despite the loss of so many of his family during the Second World War.

The articles include a piece about Youth Aliyah by Zvi Levy. This organisation is unique, as far as I am aware, and Meir played a major role in making it effective. Other articles are by Steen Lasson, Vibeke Lasson and Karen Van der Ven. These are useful articles and worth reading. The book ends with a review of Meir’s contribution to childcare training and literature by James Anglin.

After the end of the book for English readers, there is a Hebrew synopsis, which of course starts from the other end.

“Let us now praise famous men and our fathers who begat us,” says Ecclesiasticus. It is important not to forget the contributions of those men and women who have gone before. Meir contributed to childcare thinking, writing, staff training and practice. His life and contribution deserve commemoration, and this book deserves to be read not just by Meir’s former acquaintances but also by others who can learn of the importance of individuals in pushing thinking forward. And for those of us who knew him, the twinkle in the eye will not be forgotten.

Child and Youth Care Forum Volume 31, Number 3 Special Issue A Tribute to Meir Gottesmann, A Pioneer in Residential Education and Care ISSN 1053-1890