Judy Feld Carr
Biography
Over a 28 year period, Judy Feld Carr secretly brought to freedom 3,228 Jews prohibited from emigrating from Syria. Working with smugglers, bribing government officials, she removed most of that community from veritable bondage. In addition, she clandestinely smuggled out of that country, priceless ancient articles of Jewish worship. Until the late Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, and the Israeli Intelligence Organizations, publicly acclaimed her activities, the world, including the Jewish world, had no inkling of this Canadian Jewish woman's covert life. She is the subject of a best selling Canadian book by historian, Dr. Harold Troper, "The Rescuer" now in its second edition. The rescue was the best-kept secret in the Jewish world.
Judy Feld Carr was born in Montreal, raised in Sudbury, a small Northern Ontario town, the daughter of a fur trader. She received a Bachelor of Music Education degree, and Master's degrees in Musicology and Music Education from the University of Toronto. She taught both university and high school, and was a visiting lecturer at Yeshiva University, Hebrew University and Youngstown State University in Ohio. She received an honorary Doctor of Laws from Laurentian University in Ontario, and a Doctorate of Humane Letters from the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York. In June, 2012, Judy was one of the first six recipients of The Presidential Award of Distinction, of the State of Israel. The Award was created by President Shimon Peres, to "recognize outstanding contribution to the Jewish People and the State of Israel'.
Among many other awards, she was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada, (the highest award bestowed upon a Canadian citizen), received the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal in 2002 and the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012; the Humanitarian Award of Merit at Haifa University; the Abram Sachar Medal as 'Woman of the Year' at Brandeis University; the Saul Hayes Human Rights Award of Canadian Jewish Congress; Award of Tolerance, Justice and Human Rights of the Simon Wiesenthal Center; Woman of Achievement Award of both Canadian Hadassah and B'nai Brith Women; Dr. Jane Evans Pursuit of Justice Award of Women of Reform Judaism of North America; co-honoree of the Jewish National Fund Negev Dinner, Toronto; Honoree of the State of Israel Bonds, Toronto. The Foreign Ministry of Israel in Jerusalem, the Israel Intelligence Organizations, and the Syrian Jewish Communities in Brooklyn and Israel honored Mrs. Feld Carr for her secret rescue of the Syrian Jewish Community. In 2011, she was also honored with her husband, Donald Carr, with the Human Rights Award of The Canadian Centre for Diversity.
She is the subject of the Israel Broadcasting Authority's documentary "Miss Judy", aired on Israel television in 2011 and the opening film at the Toronto Jewish Film Festival in 2012. She is a contributor to the books "I am Jewish'" edited by Judea and Ruth Pearl and "What Israel Means to Me", edited by Alan Dershowitz. She participated in the leadership of communal organizations as President of the Beth Tzedec Congregation (the largest synagogue in North America), Chairman of the National Committee for Jews in Arab Lands of Canadian Jewish Congress, member of the Boards of HI AS (New York), JDC (New York), State of Israel Bonds (Toronto) and the World Organization for Jews in Arab Countries (Israel).
She was widowed in 1973, and later married Donald Carr, QC, and is the mother of six children and grandmother of 13 grandchildren, 5 of whom live with their parents in Jerusalem.