Judih was born on August 29, 1953, in Goshen, New York. When she was three, she moved with her family to Toronto, Canada. She completed her bachelor’s degree in literature at the University of Toronto and her master’s degree in education at Lesley University.
At the age of 24, she visited Israel, fell in love with the country and with her future husband, Gadi, and decided to stay permanently and make aliyah. She started a family with her husband, and in 1994 they moved to Kibbutz Nir Oz, where they raised their four children together.
Judih was an English teacher for children with special needs and ADHD. Later, she helped children experiencing anxiety due to the situation in the Gaza Strip by using meditation and mindfulness techniques. Every morning, she enjoyed writing poetry, meditating, exercising, and riding her bike to work at the Eshkol Regional School. She was always eager to enrich her knowledge through new courses, was full of joy and was a calming presence to those around her. She understood the true meaning of life and love and cared deeply for both a healthy mind and body. At her core, she sought to help everyone through meditation, poetry and puppet therapy, always listening to her students’ needs and accepting each person exactly as they were.
Thank you for gracing these 70 years with your presence, and for sharing your love and joy with everyone fortunate enough to know you.
Judih’s life ended on the morning of October 7th when murderers took her last breath and abducted her body along with that of her beloved Gadi from the fields of Nir Oz into Gaza. After 608 days in captivity, their bodies were finally returned in a rescue operation carried out by the IDF and the Shabak.
Mommy, we love you and remember you always. You are in our hearts.
She was 70 years old at the time of her death.
May Judih’s memory be a blessing.
