Ann Strauss Shenkar was born 1923 in Cleveland, Ohio. Her maternal grandfather, Salmon Halle, was co owner of the Halle department store in Cleveland. Ann’s mother, Marion Halle Strauss was President of Hadassah in Cleveland. Her father, Abraham Strauss was the head of a surgical department at Mount Sinai Hospital in Cleveland. Ann graduated from Bryn Mawr College in 1944. She studied English literature; and minored in geology, which included map-making from aerial photographs.

She moved to Palestine in 1947 and was wounded near Castel between Maale Hahamisha and Jerusalem. Ann married Israel Shenkar in 1952. They have a son, Roy, born 1960, and two grandchildren.

Professional experience:

US Navy - map making for Coast and Geodetic service
Jewish Agency in Washington, Eliyahu Eilat
PIO - Palestine Information Office, Moshe Pearlman, 1948 - 1949
Haganah - correcting maps via aerial photographs

Soviet Jewry:

Ann became active in behalf of Soviet Jewry about 1967; and from December 1970 -September 1972 she prepared the News Bulletin on Soviet Jewry, in conjunction with Action Committee of Newcomers from the Soviet Union. She actively disseminated reports on Soviet Jewry in Israel and overseas, in spite of government policy to strictly control release of such information.