Yonata Feldman served on the faculty of the Smith College School for Social Work for many years. She was born in 1892 in Estonia and studied at the Imperial University of Jurjew; her education was interrupted when the Germans invaded Russia in 1912. Before emigrating to the United States, she taught at, and was principal of, an elementary school in Estonia. She earned her M.A. from the Chicago University School of Social Service Administration in 1923, specializing in the treatment of emotionally disturbed children. From 1923 to 1928 Feldman was a social worker at the Chicago Jewish Children's Bureau, and from 1925 to 1928 also worked with disturbed children at the Chicago Institute for Juvenile Research. From 1928 to 1961, she was employed at the Madeleine Borg Child Guidance Institute of the Jewish Board of Guardians in New York City, working her way up from caseworker to casework supervisor to "boro" supervisor. In 1950, she joined the faculty of the Smith College School for Social Work where she served until 1974. Throughout her career, she conducted seminars and institutes for various institutions and professional groups, among them Western Reserve University, The College of William and Mary, Mt. Sinai Hospital, the Presbyterian Hospital of the New York Medical Center, Lebanon Hospital and the Board of Education of the City of New York. She also served as case consultant for numerous institutions, social work agencies, and case workers in private practice. She died on August 28, 1981 in New York, NY.

Yonata Feldman's papers consist of 3.5 linear feet of material, dating from 1938 to 1981. They are divided into three series. Series I. Biographical Material (1980-81), .25", includes autobiographical statements about Feldman's experiences in German-occupied Russia during World War I, when she was separated from her family for an extended period. Also of interest are her reflections on and anecdotes about her years at the Smith College School for Social Work. Series II. Professional Activities (1940-81), 1.75', is comprised primarily of teaching records, which include supervisory and case notes. Case files are arranged alphabetically by surname of student (not by name of client). The series also contains teaching notes, syllabi, class rosters, critiques of case studies, summaries and minutes of seminars and institutes, typescripts of writings, bibliographies, and printed matter, as well as material pertaining to professional organizations with which Feldman was affiliated. Series III. Writings (1945-80), .5', includes typescripts and draft manuscripts of Feldman's writings. In Series IV. Photographs (1957-76, n.d.), .25', several images of Feldman and her S.C.S.S.W. students can be found.

This collection is organized into four series:

• I. Biographical Material
• II. Professional Activities
• III. Writings
• IV. Photographs
• BOOKS ON SHELF