A Passionate Community Activist and Animal Advocate, Judith Israel, passed away due to complications from surgery at the Mayo Clinic Hospital in Rochester, MN, on Saturday, August 17. Judith was born to Lawrence and Marcia Israel, co-founders of the Judy’s apparel chain, a retail concepts based on fashion-forward trends on August 13, 1948.
Judy and her sister Jane were raised in the Holmby Hills area of Los Angeles. Growing up, she attended the John Thomas Dye School in Bel Air, the Buckley School in Sherman Oaks, and Finch College in New York City. A lover of the ocean, Judy had been a long-time resident of Malibu, supporting many environmental organizations, such as Heal the Bay, and social causes, including being an early supporter of the National Farm Workers Association’s Grape Boycott and working with the Los Angeles Catholic Worker.
In addition to a multitude of close friends, Judith is survived by her sister Jane and her husband John Siegel of San Francisco, as well as their two children, Jack and Holly, who both live in New York City.
Funeral Services were held at the Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park and Mortuary, 1218 Glendon Avenue, Los Angeles, CA on Tuesday, August 27 at 11:00 a.m. A sunset walk on the beach from her home in Malibu later that afternoon took place to remember where Judith was most at peace in life.