Isaacson, Judith (1925 - )

Genre: Non-Fiction

Judith Magyar Isaacson was born in Hungary. In 1944 she, her mother, aunt, and grandmother were deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau where her grandmother died. Judith, her mother and aunt were sent to another concentration camp, Hessich-Lichtenau. In 1945 they were taken to Tekla where the US Army liberated them. Judith married Irving Isaacson, an American Army officer, and moved with him to Lewiston, Maine, Irving's hometown.

In 1965 Judith graduated from Bates College with a major in mathematics. She taught math at Lewiston High School for three years and then studied at Bowdoin College where she earned a Master's degree in 1969. That same year she was hired as Dean of Women at Bates College. She was Dean of Students from 1975 to 1977 when she retired. She received an honorary doctorate from Bowdoin in 1994.

A 1976 invitation from Bowdoin College to speak about her survival in the camps was a turning point in her life. The day after her presentation, she began to write the her memoirs. Her book has been translated into several languages, was the inspiration for Mark Polishook's electronic chamber opera, and is the subject of a short video.

Her manuscripts for the book plus family papers can be viewed at Bates College Ladd Library. Other Isaacson papers can be found in the Maine Women Writers Collection, University of New England.

Selected Bibliography

  • Seed of Sarah: Memoirs of a Survivor in 1990

Selected Links