Prof. Avima D. Lombard (1926

On February 19^th, 2009, an exhibition opened at the NCJW Research Institute for Innovation in Education at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, celebrating the life and legacy of the late Avima. D. Lombard, Professor Emeritus at the university’s School of Education and Senior Research Fellow at the Institute and Director of its Early Childhood Programs.

The Institute’s commitment to educational research and the development and implementation of educational programming among socio-economically distressed communities dovetailed with Prof. Lombard’s dedication to the equalization of educational opportunities for young children.

The Institute is proud to have served as Prof. Lombard’s academic home, for it was here that this remarkable woman and her colleagues developed the flagship Home Instruction Program for Preschool Youngsters, HIPPY. In the words of the Institute's first director, Prof. Emeritus Chaim Adler, : “One doesn’t always have the opportunity to watch a small pilot project grow into a national program and then an international one. It was an honor and a privilege to work with her.”

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Dr. Miriam Westheimer, Director, HIPPY International:

PROF. AVIMA D. LOMBARD: A PERSONAL REFLECTION

Twenty years ago, a brilliant, imposing, somewhat intimidating force changed my life forever. That force – Avima D. Lombard – decided that I would become her professional partner in the United States. Twelve years later, that same force accepted me as her partner on the international stage. Together, we built a network of international programs with new countries being added almost every year.

As I reflect on twenty years working with Avima, many attributes come to mind:

Avima had a vision. She saw the development potential in all children and was determined to find a way to help them reach it. And she believed in the transformative power of the parent-child dynamic. With these beliefs, she created a simple, yet sophisticated, program model to provide parents with the tools and supports they would need to teach their children – right in their own homes.

Avima transcended academic and professional boundaries. While being an outstanding professor and researcher, Avima’s reach extended much farther than the university walls. She was a leader in the field of action research long before it became a popular field of study. To Avima, the intellectual pursuit of knowledge was important only insofar as it could improve people’s lives. As she learned and taught about child development, she created a program to allow all children to reach their potential. Avima had a vision and she had the academic rigor and activist temperament to turn it into a reality.

Avima was an outstanding communicator and she communicated equally effectively in all situations. When Avima offered a keynote address at an academic conference, her words were engaging, provocative and wise. When she met with local community leaders, who ranged from inner city clergy to Maori (or other Aboriginal elders) to school administrators, she knew how to gently but clearly challenge their acceptance of the status quo. When she spoke to philanthropists, foundation executives and policy makers, she commanded an unyielding power
of persuasion. Finally, and most impressively, when she worked directly with parents and paraprofessionals, she knew how to relate on an authentic, personal level leaving each and everyone she met feeling positive and empowered. Avima had a vision which she could convey
to anyone.

Avima never tired. Determined to share her vision with all who were ready to listen (and even with those who were not), Avima traveled the world. She lived in hotels more than she did at home. In the early days, Avima and I traveled together for weeks at a time. Old enough to be
my mother, her energy far exceeded my own. Avima had a vision and was tireless in her efforts to realize it.

Avima demanded the best from everyone. She knew what she wanted to achieve and steadfastly pursued it. She knew exactly how each program should operate and would go to great lengths to make sure that each one did so accordingly. Many people who worked with Avima will remember role-playing with her for endless hours until she was satisfied that her method was fully understood. Avima had a vision and her powerful determination kept
her singularly focused.

Avima did not see obstacles; she saw challenges. Obstacles were there to be removed. And remove them she did. If her hands-on help was needed by a HIPPY program in a country that could not afford the airfare, she would find a way for a more affluent country to cover the costs.
If one organization did not seem to nurture a program adequately, she would look for another. Avima had a vision and it diminished all obstacles.

Even though I haven’t worked directly with Avima for many years now, her presence looms large. Her body may be gone, but her spirit lives on. Avima’s spirit lives on in the lives of hundreds of thousands of children and parents around the world and in the lives of those of us
privileged enough to be of some service to them. Her legacy is as large and as powerful a force as was her life.

May her memory be a blessing.

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Nan H. Rich, Florida State Senator and former National President of the
National Council of Jewish Women:

REMEMBERING AVIMA LOMBARD

NCJW and the world, especially its children, lost a dear friend and powerful advocate with the recent death of Prof. Avima Lombard. Avima held the Wolens Chair in Early Childhood
Education at the Hebrew University and is known around the world as the creator of the highly acclaimed Israeli educational program known as HIPPY, Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters. HIPPY was designed to assist at-risk parents to become the first educators of their children, and to prepare their children for success in school and beyond. Launched in 1968 from NCJW’s Research Institute for Innovation in Education at The Hebrew
University in Jerusalem, HIPPY now numbers more than 250 programs in countries across the globe, including 25 states and the District of Columbia in the US.

Avima long ago recognized the critical nature of early childhood development and the importance of preparing children to succeed in school, of involving the family in that process – in short, as the title of her book suggests, Success Begins at Home. People all over the US knew and loved Avima – she touched the lives of tens of thousands of families: mothers who registered to vote, obtained library cards, or completed their GEDs; families who became involved in their children’s education; paraprofessionals who had their first job, went back to school, or received a college diploma; children who are succeeding in school. None of it would have happened without Avima – without her vision, her determination, her stamina, and her unparalleled commitment to children and their families!

I was fortunate to have shared more than a dozen trips to Israel with my NCJW colleagues during which time we visited HIPPY programs and learned from Avima. We even journeyed to Jordan to visit Queen Noor in the hopes that she would decide to bring HIPPY to her country. When I saw my first HIPPY program with Avima in the town of Gilo in 1981, I knew we had to bring HIPPY to the US. I am proud that Miami, my community, was one of the first to start it,
and 23 years later it is the oldest program in the US, and still going strong!

HIPPY also was the program that Hillary Clinton learned about on a visit to Miami in 1985 and which she brought to the State of Arkansas when her husband was Governor. Avima, Hillary, and I established a long-standing friendship as we worked together to expand HIPPY in the US and to create HIPPY-USA. In 1999, on a State visit with President Clinton, Hillary visited her first HIPPY program in Israel at Yad Rachel Community Center in Jerusalem. I know how much it meant to Avima for Hillary to make sure that a HIPPY visit was included in her very busy schedule. She had hundreds of requests to visit programs and she picked HIPPY. It was definitely a tribute to Avima. For me, that visit had special significance. I had the feeling that Avima, Hillary, and I had come full circle – from Israel where it all started, to Miami, to Arkansas, and back to Israel. And to think of all the families along the way who have been provided with a brighter future because of Avima’s dream!

Avima leaves behind not only countless friends and admirers, but also a special legacy in HIPPY; not simply a tribute to her, but an enduring force for good around the world. A former President of Hebrew University, Abe Harmon, once said that NCJW doesn’t build buildings, NCJW builds people. He surely must have been thinking of Avima. She will be sorely missed but her legacy will live on, not in a building or a monument, but in the lives of the children and the families she helped to build!

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Lesley Max, Founding Director of HIPPY New Zealand, CEO of Great Potentials:

AN APPRECIATION OF AVIMA LOMBARD

I consider myself immensely fortunate to have had the good luck to have had Avima Lombard as mentor, colleague and friend. How hard it is to do justice to the uniqueness of this remarkable woman!

My association with her began in 1987. In the course of researching for a book (“Children: Endangered Species? How the needs of New Zealand children are being neglected: a call for action” Penguin 1990), I interviewed a very impressive public health doctor, Dr. Zoe During, who had given much consideration to pathways out of poverty for children and families.
Dr. During mentioned to me a monograph she had read about an early childhood programme in Israel in which parents played a key role. I was about to attend a conference in Israel. I made contact with Professor Chaim Adler, who referred me to Dr Avima Lombard. The telephone conversation I had with her was the beginning of a connection which was able to be made concrete following the establishment of our Trust, formed on the basis of the evidence in the book.

So I found myself, in considerable trepidation, waiting for her to arrive at the airport in Auckland, New Zealand, one February day in 1992. That was the first of nine annual visits Avima made, all of about 10 days duration. For most of that time, Avima and I were together for long days, perhaps 16 hour days, as we travelled around New Zealand and as she trained coordinators and tutors.
In all that time, a residual sliver of that trepidation remained with me, simply because of the intellectual power of this woman. Avima was not someone to whom you wanted to make casually unthinking or banal comments. Yet what a sense of humour she had! I have laughed with Avima till the tears rolled down both our faces.

There were so many Avimas!

Avima as change agent:
The first experience of this characteristic of hers was unforgettable. Following the ceremonial Maori blessing of our new building – our Family Service Centre – Avima began her teaching of the very first women who displayed courage in electing to offer themselves as paraprofessional home tutors in HIPPY, this totally new proposition. The women were all Maori or immigrants from the Pacific Islands – the two groups who together still comprise the majority of HIPPY families. The very first piece of learning is arguably still the most important concept. Avima was role-playing the first week’s HIPPY activities with the women. “What do you do if the child’s answer is wrong?” she asked.

One woman mimed a whack around the back of the head. “Never”, said Avima. “You never do that.”
“You tell them – NO!” said another woman. “Never”, said Avima. “You don’t use ‘no’.” And she role-played for them the process of affirming a right answer and supplying an answer where the child was unable to.

I was watching a revolution at that moment. Laughter erupted around the table – the laughter of liberation. Out tumbled the stories of their own experiences. In a sentence, the women were on the path to liberation from their childhood fear and shame from not knowing or being wrong, the fear and shame that created an ever-present obstacle to their own learning.
For nine years, I sat quietly and watched and listened as this woman brought new ideas and released women’s potential to be their child’s warm, responsive, encouraging guide into the world of learning.

It became clear why HIPPY in Israel is known as Ha Etgar, the Challenge. Avima challenged and challenged. She listened respectfully to argument on the basis of cultural difference, such as pressure of any kind on mothers being culturally beyond the pale. She asked people to consider to what extent change was desirable. If they considered change was not necessary, then so be it. But if change was wanted or needed, how was it to be achieved?

Words such as ‘pressure’, ‘challenge’ and even ‘assertiveness’ became legitimate. “Assertiveness is not by definition negative”, she said. “We move ‘em from ‘No, I can’t!’ to ‘Yes, I can!’”
And now, the length and the breadth of New Zealand, women and their children are saying and demonstrating, “Yes, I can!” What an interesting new significance those words have, following the Obama campaign!

Avima as bridge-builder:

Avima is surely a supreme example of one who thought globally and acted locally. The universal principles that underpin HIPPY – the parent/child relationship and the processes of cognitive development - that have been recognised around the HIPPY world, have been accepted by the diverse population of New Zealand as deeply valid. Just as HIPPY International events demonstrate that bridge-building on a global level, so HIPPY in our communities builds relationships across cultural, ethnic and religious divides. Just a week ago I heard about a woman here in Auckland, born in the Pacific nation of Tonga, who, thanks to HIPPY, is no longer afraid to visit the supermarket in her suburb. Through HIPPY she now knows Somali people and the fear has gone.

In all our 24 HIPPY locations around the country, similar stories can be heard. Having listened to Avima over the years, it was reassuring to know that, whatever the apparent cultural barrier in front of us, it was nothing new to Avima, who could cite experience in Nepal or Mexico or Turkey or Arkansas or so many other places to illuminate the way through.
She had a rare capacity to reach across the cultural divide. I recall the first times Avima experienced Maori protocol – elaborate, formal, expressed in a language of which she knew not a syllable. Yet she knew instinctively how to respond, with dignity and cordiality. Fourteen years after one of those initial experiences, a tribal leader, Hori Awa, expressed, in Maori and English, a beautiful and heart-felt tribute to Avima, using terms that might be applied to a person of chiefly rank.

Avima as a member of my family:

For nine years, Avima spent many warm February days and evenings with us, being regarded more and more, as year succeeded year, as a loved family member. At the first visit, she made a lasting connection with our youngest child, David, then 12, who was watching cricket on TV. This provided Avima with a challenge. What was it all about?

“Would you like me to teach you the rules of test cricket?” asked David. Yes. So, in an hour, Avima absorbed the fundamentals of this arcane sport in a way I haven’t in a lifetime.
As the years wore on, David and Avima sparred good-naturedly, though not without some heat, on a range of political issues where each obliged the other by adopting a stance and not budging. Despite or because of the sparring, and despite the 53-year age gap, they became good friends and Avima provided David with warm hospitality in her beautiful new home at Kfar Uriah in 1998.

Avima as an exemplification of Kipling’s virtues:

Rudyard Kipling in his famous poem ‘If’ holds up as an ideal the person who
“...can talk with crowds and keep your virtue
Or walk with Kings nor lose the common touch”.

Avima was such a person. Avima, the friend of the Clintons; Avima, sought out by the Queen of Jordan; Avima, knighted by the Netherlands; Avima dealing, as I saw her, with Ministers of Social Welfare and Education and all kinds of dignitaries, was essentially the same Avima making a home visit up a rutted farm track to a poor, burdened woman in an obscure corner of a distant
land. Her style was respectful and down-to-earth. She was intensely perceptive.

Avima as mentor:
Avima exemplified the role-modelling which lies at the heart of the HIPPY method.

“What you do with the mum is what she is going to do with her child,” she would say.
By the same mechanism, she modelled rather than preached respectful interaction and punctuality. She never summoned anyone to the next session of the training; she was sitting at the table with her spiral-bound note-book (which comprised her whole training armoury!) and people got the message.

She modelled rising to the challenge, making a sustained effort. Her travelling was not of the glamorous variety. After the unimaginably long flight to New Zealand came days of pre-dawn starts, tiny planes to distant, provincial destinations and long drives when her map-reading skills were a great boon.
Avima also modelled for me how to patiently but firmly insist that HIPPY’s integrity should not be jeopardised by what the writer Lisbeth Schorr calls ‘replication by dilution’. Avima’s stature, in both senses, and her calm, quiet but authoritative demeanour were of immense value in dealing with Government officials who, faced with a more pliant personality, may have fatally diluted HIPPY.

Avima as leader and guide:

What Avima established in HIPPY is surely as perfect a chain of guidance and scaffolding as can be found in any social service anywhere. It is a testament to the validity of the theoretical basis she established and the system of implementation that she created and refined and to her gifts as a leader that HIPPY flourishes in so many diverse environments. She used the term “guidance” frequently.

It is indeed an apt word to describe the qualities of leadership and the setting of direction, which HIPPY’s international and national leadership displays, which coordinators display, which paraprofessional home tutors display and which parents display as they work with their child. An unbroken chain, which provides guidance but not coercion.
Avima defies categorisation. She was formidable yet she could be folksy. “You gals will know...” She was intellectual, yet read on her travels the pulpy gleanings of airport bookstores. She could be somewhat austere, yet able to twinkle at a good-looking young man beside her in a plane for some hours.

Over all those years, all those visits, all those miles travelled together, we shared a great deal about children and grandchildren, about accommodating different styles of religious observance within one family, about life. I heard about Johnny and Amy, Tami and Ed, Eitan and Melanie and about all the grandchildren and it was a great pleasure to be able to meet some of her family
in Israel and to see how she was treasured. Avima’s characteristic non-sentimentality was set aside as she talked lovingly of her children and grand-children.
One word Avima rarely uttered as she taught and guided was “I”. Although she had the transformational power one associates with charismatic personalities, it would be hard to describe as charismatic the tall woman in the paisley blouse sitting four square and talking quietly to scores of women. There was nothing of the theatrical about her. Yet her influence has been utterly extraordinary in New Zealand, as in so many other countries.

Young people moving into their independent years with solid school accomplishments behind them, with plans for their future, with good relationships with their families, taking responsibility for their friends’ wellbeing when necessary – these are Avima’s New Zealand ‘grandchildren’. And mothers who discovered a new joy in parenthood, who are able to walk alongside their children in their educational progress, mothers who have blazed pathways to further education
and career progression for themselves – these are Avima’s New Zealand ‘children’.
We are so lucky that Jane Hall, someone who absorbed Avima’s teaching and guidance and has reflected deeply upon it, who valued the woman and the principles she stood for, is guiding HIPPY in New Zealand with the spirit and capacity that Avima – that great judge of people – detected in her in an initial interview fourteen years ago.

And so the torch, crafted by Avima, is passed from hand to hand.

We in New Zealand HIPPY, we in Great Potentials, are determined that the light she ignited will illuminate the path to brighter futures for many more thousands of children and parents in our country.

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Debbie Bell, HIPPY Canada Executive Director:

A Dedication to Avima Lombard

The Visionary, the truth sayer,
Avima understood injustice, the child denied a chance for success in life
She was convinced, that every parent wanted only the best for her child
She believed in the possibility, for things to be different than they are

The architect, the designer
Avima identified the components, the child, the parent, the home, the home visitor
She assembled the pieces , 30 weeks, 3 years, visiting the home, meeting as a group, a curriculum
She constructed a framework, to facilitate change in all the corners of the globe

The advocate, the ambassador
She awakened the sleeping, by shouting the truth about child poverty
She convinced the skeptical, by persuading with logic and conviction
She moved the paralyzed, by starting with small steps

The tyrant, the unbending
She was rigid,
She was impatient
She did not suffer fools

The tenacious, the relentless
She persevered in the face resistance,
She remained steadfast, in her belief
She saw beyond the artificial barriers that obstructed her vision

The mentor, the coach
She saw potential, courage and strength in those around her
She fearlessly point out our weaknesses so we could grow
She supported anyone who was willing to risk trying

The mother, the caregiver
She intuitively understood the parental love that endured regardless of despair
She modeled with the non-judgemental pride and love of her own children, their children, and their children
She cared for each of us, as though we were her only children

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Carol Slater, HIPPY Canada Board
Perhaps there is nothing more perfect – more Avima than the words of Debbie Bell! I think it is fair to say that Debbie worshipped Avima as she embodied all the principles and goals that Debbie holds so high. It was very special to watch the joy, understanding and affection that passed between them!
For me – it was a unique opportunity to watch two professionals from the opposite ends of the world, from completely different backgrounds, work together, build together – in sync, like one.

This was the gift of Avima. She could inspire, push to excel and was adored in return. To have been privileged to watch her with HIPPY parents and children was an incredible experience! Her eyes glistened and in so many encounters, her audiences simply thrilled to her wisdom. Avima could make anyone – even hardened politicians and bureaucrats agree with everything she said!
Her children, grandchildren and colleagues have all been left with a huge void. But Avima’s legacy is so great that hopefully this void will be filled with memories and stories and the most important of all… her gift of HIPPY to the world! My gift from Avima was her friendship and through her, the friends and enlightenment of my life that I have received from HIPPY!

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Carla-Marie Weir, Texas HIPPY Director:

Years ago, when I learned that the name Avima means “my father” (avi) and “mother” (ma) in Hebrew, I had to smile. I imagined Avima’s parents bestowing this huge name on a tiny baby, knowing she was destined for greatness. She has been the mother and father of HIPPY, and created an extended international family who will carry on her social and educational heritage for generations to come. Indeed, she has impacted, inspired and energized so many people, with her vision, strength of will and character "With Avima, it wasn’t a matter of ego, but of how certain she was of her vision of a better future for parents and young children. She could go from giant to gentle in a minute—talking to a parent, child or shy home visitor. Avima was someone who took the education and future of the children of the world so seriously, without ever taking her own role too seriously. She was the same person always, whether speaking with the president of the university or the waitress at a café. I will never forget her, I will always be inspired by her, and will always be thankful for the opportunity she has given me to impact the lives of so many."

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Jeff Tabak, Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP, HIPPY USA, Board Member 1996 -2002,
Recipient of the 2006 Avima D. Lombard Award:

I was privileged and honored to meet Avima when my law firm, Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP, began to represent HIPPY USA in 1994. As counsel to HIPPY USA and later as a Board member myself and then Vice-Chair of the Board, I would sit in meetings at Teachers College and at our firm's office and marvel at this smart, creative, intuitive and strong woman who had developed such an extraordinary program that was befitting thousands of children and their parents. Though Avima understood and accepted the need to adapt HIPPY's program in Israel to the culture and differences in the United States, she provided the historical perspective that allowed us to stay true to HIPPY's, and her, original goals and principles.

I always looked forward to our discussions about HIPPY, politics, family and so many other topics. I also looked forward to the delicious chocolate she would always bring from Israel! I was greatly honored to be recognized by HIPPY USA with the Avima D. Lombard Award in 2006. The award sits on my office desk and so Avima is never, and will never be, far from my thoughts

For many years now, whenever I heard a Peter, Paul and Mary song called "Don't Let the Lights Go Out," I have thought of Avima and HIPPY. The chorus of that song is:

"Don't let the lights go out. They've lasted for so many years."
"Don't let the lights go out. Let them shine through our love and our tears"

Even with Avima's passing, HIPPY's lights will not go out; those lights and Avima's legacy will continue to shine for thousands of children, their parents and all of us who were blessed to have known her.

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Karis Alderson, Hot Springs Village, Arkansas:

Thanks for your visionary gifts to the world.
Thanks for the difference you made in my life.
Thanks for the memories.

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Hilde Kalthoff, Landelijk coördinator Stapprogramma's, Nederlands Jeugdinstituut / NJi:

We felt very sorry when we heard that Avima has died. For our work in the Netherlands she was very important.

We call her the mother of Opstap (the name of our version of Hippy)… there are still coordinators who have been trained by Avima. And also for them she is unforgettable.

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Ana Salazar, Co-ordinator, Onehunga, HIPPY New Zealand:

May, when the tears stop flowing...

the LIGHT that Avima lit in everyone's heart shine brightly...

in order to continue lighting the hearts and minds of all those whom "HIPPY" comes in contact with.

Thinking of you all!

Onehunga HIPPY families' workshop commemorates Avima D. Lombard

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Sharon Kerisome, FINLAYSON PARK HIPPY TRUST, MANUREWA,
NEW ZEALAND:

It has been a privilege to be a part of Avima’s vision… a vision that has empowered many families and children in our community.

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Laura W. Collins, HIPPY Director Education Training Center,
Daisy Lawrence, HIPPY USA:

Avima never lost her faith that the world could change, and that even children living in the most distressing circumstances could see a better future. HIPPY will miss her terribly, but will keep her memory alive by emulating her unwavering commitment to give children everywhere the life they deserve.

Montgomery Public Schools HIPPY Program

Suzanne Dean PhD, Psychology, Victoria University,
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia:

AUSTRALIAN THOUGHTS IN HONOUR OF AVIMA D. LOMBARD

A true Citizen of the World, Avima embraced the children of the world in all her thinking. She reached across the oceans to the far-side, to support colleagues working with youngsters in New Zealand and Australia, as well as those nearer to home. Australia, in particular, has much to thank her for. She broke through resistances to children’s services in this country to inspire the introduction of HIPPY in a range of settings across cultural divides – a process that has snowballed remarkably. On her numerous visits to Australia, Avima encouraged and strengthened the resolve and strategic planning of individuals and organisations moved to establish both HIPPY services and accompanying research.

In this country, HIPPY is distinguished as one of the first structured programs for preschoolers that has been found to be helpful among our indigenous people. Avima welcomed many Australians to meetings and training in Jerusalem, where she nurtured understanding and challenged barriers, and through her lively friendliness enabled Australians to become part of the world-wide HIPPY “family”.

Avima’s devotion to children in need of a successful start in life, her passionate support of parents in doing their very best, her deeply creative and sharply questioning mind, her thoughtful kindness, and her great sense of humour were loved by all. Her optimistic vision for a brighter future for the children of the world lives on among those she touched. This lives on not only in HIPPY itself, through the leadership of Miriam Westheimer and many others who are taking HIPPY further ahead. Avima’s vision also lives on within the children, families and communities who have benefitted, and will benefit, from the program - forward into generations to come.

Thank you, Avima.

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Kelly Moore, Coordinator of The Parent Center and HIPPY Program,
Benton School District, Benton, Arkansas:

The HIPPY Program of Benton, Arkansas wishes to express their gratitude and appreciation to Avima Lombard. Many children and families in our school district have been better prepared to start Kindergarten because of her impact on early education. We wish to thank Avima Lombard for the experiences and opportunities of the HIPPY Program.

It is with great anticipation that we look forward to many more years of continuing the work that her legacy has brought to us. Thank you, Avima, for bringing the world of HIPPY to all of us.

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Ayla Goksel, Mother Child Education Foundation,
Istanbul, Turkey:

It is with great sadness that we learnt of the loss of Professor Avima Lombard.

Prof. Lombard and her work has been a tremendous inspiration for the founders and staff of the Mother Child Education Foundation. We and all those working with young children and their families have benefited from her vision, energy and creativity. Her work with the HIPPY program and its success will remain a lasting legacy of her lifetime’s dedication. For those of us that knew her personally, her warmth and boundless energy were the qualities we remember vividly.

We would like to extend our deepest sorrow to the HIPPY community and Avima Lombard’s family.

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Susan Lynch , Child Development, Inc., Russellville, Arkansas, USA:

Avima Lombard reached out to touch me and made a difference in my life. I would like to take this opportunity to share what I would say to her if I could.

I want you to know what kind of impact you’ve had on my life. Over the years I have grown so much and many things have changed, but I will never forget what I learned during those early days of sitting around a table with you. I carry those things with me every single day. I believe they have enriched the way I work with staff and families, but especially in how I perform as a trainer.

When I think of you, I think of strength, leadership, intelligence, and compassion all wrapped up in an efficient, energetic package. You encouraged me to open my world which allowed opportunities that I never dreamed would be available to me.
Thank you for the many gifts of character and wisdom you have shared with me. We at Child Development love you and cherish your involvement in our lives and work.

Joan Bronk, National President, National Council of Jewish Women, 1990-1993, USA:

I first remember sitting in Avima's living room in Israel discussing the idea of HIPPY. We at NCJW felt honored to be in the presence of this visionary woman. She was brilliant, had a great sense of humor and felt certain that her idea would work. We all wanted to follow her anywhere!

As the years proved her right, our esteem only grew. When I was National President of NCJW, I had many in-depth opportunities to speak with HIPPY Moms--and learn how HIPPY changed their lives and the lives of their children. Those remain some of the most cherished memories of my Presidency.

Yes, HIPPY did change so many lives and we can all thank Avima for that. How many of us can say that while we were on this earth, we were responsible for changing lives?

May her memory be a blessing to all who knew her.

Jane Hall, National Director, HIPPY New Zealand:

Tribute to Dr Avima Lombard, 1 December 1926 – 13 October 2008

Avima came to New Zealand every March from 1992 to 2000 to support and guide us, and make sure we were sticking to the ‘HIPPY way’. During each visit she held a two day training session for coordinators and tutors. We loved her teaching and the stories she told us. The stories have been retold many times over the years. Some have become whakatauaki HIPPY ( HIPPY proverbs ). They are referredto as “Avimaisms”.Everything Avima said would happen for children and families who worked on HIPPY, has happened – thousands of times. Parents are always very willing to talk about their HIPPY experiences, and the following quotes are proof of what Avima said would happen:

Avima said, “Success is HIPPY’s byword”.
Parent said, “A. is doing well at school. She knew how to write her name before she started school, even her colours and shapes. So I think HIPPY is a great starting point for children.”
Avima said, “We move ‘em from ‘No I can’t!’ to ‘Yes I can!’ Parent said, “I have gained a lot more appreciation for all the time I can spend with all my children. Confidence is a biggie for me as I never used to have much of that.”

Avima said, “What children get from their teachers cannot be compared to what
they get from their parents.”
Parent said, “All children need us parent’s help. If we help our children they will develop. If not they will stay with the short and small knowledge.”
Avima said, “The longer a child does not fail at school, the less likely thatchild is to fail.” Parent said, “He has settled in very well. He has been given certificates for settling in well, excellent listening skills, fantastic role model for other children and excellent knowledge of fractions - halves and quarters. J is confident, enjoys reading his homework book after school.”

Avima said, “In this situation, the best people to serve the community are members
of the community themselves.”
Parent said, “She [tutor] is passionate about what she does and it shows. She is interested in the family as a whole and I always feel encouraged as a mother after spending time with her.”
Avima said, “Assertiveness is not by definition negative.” Parent said, “I probably ask the teacher more questions and can make her aware of J’s strengths and weaknesses.”

Many parents would echo the words of this parent;
“Thank you for bringing S. and I into HIPPY and opening a whole new world for us.”

During December, at the end of the school year, HIPPY families at 24 sites throughout New Zealand celebrate the success they have gained through their time working on the HIPPY activities together. These are very special celebrations, and this year it was
even more special in many sites as they lit candles for Avima and shared moments
of quiet reflection.

Avima was larger than life – physically and intellectually. She had a wicked sense of humour, didn't suffer fools, was immovable but incredibly generous, and was extraordinarily humble about the amazing gift she had created and given to the world. She touched more hearts, and brought meaning to more lives than she ever knew.

Avima’s legacy will live on every time a parent and child sit and work together on the HIPPY activities and take the knowledge into the rest of lives.

With great love

HIPPY New Zealand

Prof. Henry Green, University of Miami:

…In the mid-late 1970s, Avima took it upon herself to "adopt" me as it were. I had the privilege of writing the Ford Foundation grant to internationalize HIPPY/HATAF (1977) and then write the first English summary of Etgar (chapter 1) of a book published by the Machon (Institute) called Research in Action. At one point (1977) I remember Avima asking me to"stay" at the house on Ben Maimon while she traveled to USA. Over the next three decades, we saw/talked to each several times a year (or more recently yearly), be it in Miami, New York, Jerusalem and Kfar Uriya. She had many friends, like me, that made pilgrimages to wherever she was to give/receive a hug.Avima was a beacon of light to so many in the world of Zionism (even with her bite on Israel's changing values), early childhood education, and feminism. She taught me to follow my heart, that tzedakah was an action not a purse string, that hope and inspiration will always trump adversity.

I know that Avima will continue to bring abundance and that she will remain an indomitable force…

May her memory be a blessing (z"l).

M. Gayle Hart, National Program Director, HIPPY USA, Little
Rock, Arkansas:

Avima never lost interest in HIPPY despite health that had been failing for several years. She had to be pushed in a wheelchair at the last HIPPY USA conference that she attended - even then she insisted on majestically walking to the podium on her own! Avima's body may have failed her but her spirit stayed strong and on her good days she loved to hear what was happening with HIPPY around the world! Those of us from the early days often reminisce about how protective she was of the HIPPY model - when someone spoke of change, we would say "don't mess with Avima's baby!"

Her passing is traumatic for those of who had the pleasure of meeting this amazing woman.... and for those who had not met her, but know her through HIPPY and the amazing program that she birthed! I do not use the word amazing lightly, for it is truly phenomenal how many thousands of lives have been touched and changed for the better because of the foresight and determination of essentially one woman!

____________________________________________________________________________

Penelope Toltz, La Perouse, HIPPY Australia:

Avima Lombard was a giant in the field of education of young children. She used her great intellect to develop a system of learning (HIPPY) which, not only assisted children who may not have otherwise been ready to accept the challenges of learning, but enabled those who taught them to grow and develop a pride in their ability to teach the children in their care. Her work symbolised the highest degree of Tzedakah in the Jewish faith -- to remove the impediments that prevent people from succeeding -- in the New Union Prayer Book it is written that the highest form of Tzedakah is to help another become self-supporting by means of a gift, a loan or by finding employment for one in need. By showing mothers/fathers or carers that they could help children in their care to become educated and therefore become self supporting through the gift of education, she gave both the learner and the teacher self-confidence and a pride in learning and helping others to learn. Future community leaders are developed through the HIPPY learning system which sows a love of learning and a pride in teaching.

_____________________________________________________________________

Prof. Avima D. Lombard (1926 - 2008)

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Friday, March 20, 2009

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

In Memoriam: Prof. Avima D. Lombard (1926-2008)

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