It is with sadness, and with much reverence for a life well lived, that we announce the passing of Judith Kushner Langley—a foundational member of NOTIS and a giant in our field.

To highlight just one of her many accomplishments, Judy was the very first President of NOTIS! We are forever grateful for the role she played in establishing our beloved society, and for her dedicated service to the industry and its practitioners. 

The published obituary (originally posted here) follows. Please also leave any notes or memories of Judy you would like to share in the comment section below or via the link above. 

JUDITH KUSHNER LANGLEY
September 11, 1942 - November 28, 2024

Judith Kushner Langley died peacefully at the Whatcom Hospice House in Bellingham, Washington on Thanksgiving Day, November 28, 2024; she was 82. Judy is survived by her beloved husband of 48 years, Jim Langley; her children Litav and Jonathan; daughters-in-law Lindsay Wells and Katie Dunsmoor; and grandchildren Jonathan Earl (Jack), Aniel Dazze, Sivan Hale, Ellis Nora Kay, and Orilev Ahren.

Judy was a lover of languages, people, and our big, vibrant world. Born to Anna (Sims) and Daniel Kushner in Manhattan on September 11, 1942 and growing up in Queens, her family spoke Yiddish and English. As a youth, she and her father found a French dictionary when getting on the bus, and her curiosity about languages blossomed. Judy attended Queens College and then Penn and McGill University for graduate work, studying French and Spanish literature. Her career as a translator – working from French, Spanish, and later Portuguese too – began before she finished college, and in 1966 she began working as part of the United Nations’ English Translation Service. Judy relished her work, the relationships she built at the UN, and opportunities to travel on UN missions to Rio de Janeiro, Kiyoto, New Delhi, Tokyo, and Vienna.

When Judy’s young family lived on Bainbridge Island in Washington’s Puget Sound, she started her own translation business and was the first board president of the Northwest Translators and Interpreters Society. Judy kept a small sign on her antique desk at home – “A woman’s work is never done, especially when she owns the company.” From Bainbridge, Judy returned to the east coast regularly to work at the UN, treasuring these times to do the work she loved and be with her dear, lifelong New York friends. When she accepted a position at the World Bank in the late 1990s, Judy, Jim, and Jonathan relocated to the Washington, D.C. area. In 2004, she and Jim returned to Washington State, living in Anacortes with a view of the San Juan Islands that they had fallen in love with on their first trip there in 1975.

Judy’s enjoyment of language extended to a level of delight in puns that her family appreciates but does not fully grasp. She was also a ruthless Scrabble champion, a gift she passed on to Jonathan. Later in life, she adored participating in a Yiddish Ringele in Bellingham, schmoozing with other Yiddish speakers, growing friendships, and visiting her Bellingham grandchildren before driving home to Anacortes. (As a toddler, Judy’s youngest grandchild, Ori, developed his own version of Yiddish peek-a-boo inspired by his Nanny.)

Judy’s love for her family was profound. As we look back at pictures from our lives with our dear Mom and Judy’s time with her grandkids, her proud and joyful smile radiates a warmth we will always feel. Not one to hold back her thoughts, Judy would proudly tell strangers in the grocery store line or at a restaurant that she was a grandmother, generously offering to show pictures of her brood. She did not tire of being earnestly loving and silly. As her children, we are so very grateful for all that she gave us, including these deep inclinations towards goofiness, love, and humaning together in our shared global community.

A Celebration of Judy's Life was held on Sunday, January 12, 2025, 2:30PM at Congregation Beth Israel, 751 San Juan Boulevard, Bellingham, WA.

Donations in honor of Judy’s life may be made to the Yiddish Book Center in Amherst, Massachusetts.