Judy Feder

Madison - Judy Feder passed away in Madison, Wisconsin on August 8, 2022 at the age of 99. She was born Judith Marian Salwen in Brooklyn, New York on June 22, 1923.  She was the middle child of Ethel Katzenellenbogen and Moe Salwen. Judy and her two beloved brothers, David and Ernie, grew up among many cousins and other relatives in the vibrant Jewish community of Flatbush, Brooklyn in the interwar years. Her family co-founded the Hebrew Publishing Company on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, which became one of the world’s largest publishers of Hebrew prayerbooks, religious materials, and Yiddish publications. Judy graduated from Brooklyn’s James Madison High School in 1940 and at age 16 took the train to Ann Arbor to attend the University of Michigan, where in 1944 she received a BA in English and a teaching certificate. She returned to New York where she worked in the textile industry and other businesses until she married Bernard Feder of the Bronx on May 22, 1955. They had one child, Elizabeth, born July 8, 1958. Some of Judy’s fondest memories of this time involved outings and gatherings with the “cousins’ club.” The family moved from Brooklyn to Riverdale, New York and later to Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.

Judy was a dedicated homemaker and kept a beautiful home. She enjoyed reading, gardening, traveling, and participated in various organizations such as Women’s American ORT, the AAUW, and the League of Women Voters. Her politics were forged in the New Deal era, and she remained a staunch Democrat. Judy was also passionately interested in the arts and was an avid reader. She loved visiting museums and attending Broadway shows, the New York City Ballet, and the Metropolitan Opera. Judy had strong opinions about the arts, fashion, and contemporary politics, which she readily shared with others.

Judy was preceded in death by her two brothers, and in 2014 by her beloved husband Bernie. She is survived by her daughter Elizabeth Feder, her son-in-law Mark Johnson of Madison, Wisconsin, and her grandchildren, Daniel Harry Feder-Johnson (born 1997) and Nora Miryam Feder-Johnson (born 2000). In 2005, Bernie and Judy moved to Shalom Park, in Aurora, Colorado and since 2012, Judy lived happily at Capitol Lakes, a retirement community in Madison. She will be dearly missed by her family and friends. Contributions in her memory can be made to the Odyssey Project at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Cress Funeral & Cremation Services

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