Jewish obituaries this week on In My Heart

Jewish obituaries roundup 2

Paul Wasserman, 73, U.S., celebrity publicist, Nov. 18

Ido Zoldan, 29, Israel, contractor, terror victim, Nov. 19

Ilanit (Hila) Elmalich, 34, Israel, model, anorexia, Nov. 14

Israeli model Ilanit (Hila) Elmalich, who once worked for the Israeli branch of the Elite modeling agency, died Nov. 14 of complications from anorexia on her 34th birthday. Her death has sparked a global debate about pressures on models and young women to be thin – or too thin – and the dangers associated with such societal pressures.

Write a tribute to Hila and have it posted on In My Heart.

According to reports in Israeli media (link is in Hebrew – see articles in English here and here – this second link is to an ABC News report showing disturbing video of a skeletal Elmalich collapsing in a friend’s arms in a hospital waiting room), the 1.72 meter (5 feet-6 inch) former model weighed 22 kilograms (49 pounds) at her death, quoting her mother.

Her mother told the journalists that Elmalich began modeling at age 13 in her hometown of Tiberias. Her dream, her mother said, was to model in Tel Aviv and to see the world. Her anorexia began at the same age.