Hanna Perlstein Marcus

Hanna Perlstein Marcus was born in Bergen Belsen, Germany as a displaced person after World War II. Assigned to emigrate to Springfield, Massachusetts in 1949, along with her mother, she resided in Springfield until after her graduation from the University of Massachusetts with a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology at age twenty. Soon later, she moved to Connecticut, attending the University of Connecticut graduate schools in Counseling and Social Work, attaining Master’s Degrees in both subjects. She has two wonderful children and two beautiful granddaughters.

Ms. Marcus’ professional career, for over thirty years, has focused on social work and public sector human services. She is a licensed clinical social worker who has worked as a senior social worker and neighborhood project manager for the City of Hartford and as the Director of Human Services for the Town of Manchester, Connecticut.  She has a reputation for developing strong, creative, and influential human services programs on the local level in areas such as early childhood education, mental health and substance abuse, employment and training for at-risk populations, and public health and elder services.

The author has written a number of articles and reports concerning human services and behavioral health topics, including subjects such as the importance of preschool education, community treatment for agoraphobics, and new visions for senior citizens centers. Ms. Marcus’ experience as a social worker and human services administrator has informed her ability to tell the tale of a mother and daughter shaped by oppression and loss. She has been working on Sidonia’s Thread for three years with the aim of sharing her story with a wide range of readers.

Ms. Marcus has participated in the development and building of an exhibit entitled “A Living Memorial” at Western New England’s Hatikvah Holocaust Education Center, which features some of her mother’s photographs and documents relating to her life as a displaced person after the Holocaust. She has served as a candle lighter at numerous Yom Hashoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day) commemorations, and was a keynote speaker at Springfield’s event in 2007. She has maintained seats on several Boards of Directors of human services and behavioral health organizations, and was the first female recipient of the Dr. Edward R. Browne Humanitarian of the Year Award bestowed by Community Prevention and Addiction Services of Eastern Connecticut. She has received citations for her lifelong work in human services from the General Assembly of the State of Connecticut and the Mayor of Manchester, CT.

If you would like to invite Hanna for a book signing or to speak at your organization, contact her at info@hannamarcus.com.

Like Sidonia’s Thread and follow Hanna’s adventures in speaking about her story on Facebook.

Hear an interview with Hanna on “The Talk of Connecticut” with Mary Jones. Talk of CT.