LOTAN, GIORA

LOTAN, GIORA (Georg Lubinski, 1902–1974), Israel social welfare expert. Born in Berlin, Lotan practiced as a lawyer. From 1933 to 1938 he headed the division of vocational training for youth and adults in the Organization of German Jewry, wrote many articles on social welfare in Germany, and was coeditor of a journal on social welfare. Immigrating to Ereẓ Israel in 1938, he succeeded henrietta szold as director of the social welfare department of the Va'ad Le'ummi . During World War II Lotan established and directed the Committee for the Welfare of the Families of Jewish Soldiers and carried out a similar assignment during the War of Independence. In 1948 he was a member of the Government of Israel Social Insurance planning committee. He was the first director general of the National Insurance Institute (1954–69). From 1959 to 1961 he also served as the director general of the Ministry of Social Welfare and later, director general of the Ministry of Labor. Lotan wrote many articles and published a study of social insurance in Israel (National Insurance in Israel, 1969). (Jacob Neusner)