Judith E. Fish Leaves Meaningful Legacy for Future Generations

Through a simple, thoughtful and powerful bequest in her will, Judith Fish has created an enduring family legacy: the Judith E. Fish and Ronald A. Fish Holocaust Education Fund in support of the Raddock Family Eminent Scholar Chair for Holocaust Studies at FAU. Judith and her brother Ronald's parents, Kurt and Johanna Fish, were part of an original group of donors who established the Raddock Chair, the first Holocaust chair in the state of Florida, held by FAU Professor Alan L. Berger, Ph.D.

Judith enrolled in Dr. Berger's class and shared, "In reading the amazing books for the course, I was able to see how my family's lives were impacted by the Holocaust." Judith would never meet her grandparents or numerous other relatives who perished in the Holocaust, but she wanted others to remember their lives. She is accomplishing this by supporting Holocaust education at FAU and hopes future generations will heed the important lessons learned.

Judith's parents had been high school sweethearts in Vienna, Austria, and went on to attend medical school at the University of Vienna in 1937. When Hitler invaded Austria in 1938 and the Nuremberg Laws took effect, Johanna and Kurt were expelled from school. Kurt was able to escape to the United States, but Johanna was not. She instead fled to England. For seven years they maintained their relationship through letters, until Johanna was finally able to rejoin Kurt in the U.S. after the war.

Judith's father amassed an amazing treasure trove of mementos all along the way: tickets from trains, transport papers, army memorabilia and most important, seven years of letters between him and his beloved Johanna. Judith has painstakingly preserved these historic mementos in three remarkable scrapbooks, pictured above.

Judith earned her B.A. from Ohio State and her master's degree in social work from Case Western Reserve University. She is an animal advocate and is a performing arts aficionado. She is a former figure skater and still enjoys skating and dancing. She remains dedicated to the values she learned from her parents and is determined to honor their memory through the Holocaust Education Fund. "I feel confident in FAU and its commitment to preserve the Raddock Chair and its mission to educate others about the Holocaust. It is my small way of changing the world and leaving something meaningful for future generations."