Who is Judy Feld Carr?
By: Lieba Abecassis
When Gila and I learned the story of Judy Feld Carr, we were in absolute shock. How had we never heard about this incredible Jewish heroine before? Why was she not a household name in every Jewish girls’ school? Judy’s story felt unreal, almost as if it belonged in a new Netflix drama series. One thing was certain. We knew that she absolutely had to be featured in the Jewish Women Series.
Raised in a small Canadian mining town called Sudbury, Judy lived life on her own terms from a young age. When Gila and I spoke with her, she reminisced about her childhood. Sudbury kids loved skiing and skating in the ice cold winters, but Judy preferred staying indoors where she danced or played music. She was bullied for being Jewish, and once even had her front teeth knocked out by a rock. But she stood up for herself and never hid her Jewish identity.
“My father taught me a lot,” Judy told us. “He was a hunter and fur trader. Sometimes he took me on his trips. He taught me how to paddle a canoe, how to fish, how to shoot a gun, how to hold my liquor, and how to cuss. But the most important thing he taught me was how to be a good Jew.” Gila and I laughed, agreeing we would obviously leave the cussing part out of our children’s books.
Many parts of Judy’s life did not make it into our books. Some details were not age appropriate for young children, and other parts were simply too long for a bedtime story. Her mission lasted more than 30 years. Judy told us she lived in a constant state of stress. “How could I not?” she said. “I had the lives of many people in my hands.”
In 1972, Judy read that 12 Syrian Jews were killed in a minefield while attempting to escape from Syria into Turkey. After Israel became a state in 1948, many Muslim countries turned against their Jewish communities. Syria was no different. With a law that banned Jews from emigrating, the Jewish communities of Damascus, Aleppo and Qamishli were completely vulnerable, especially under the cruelty of the Mukhabarat, Syria’s secret police.
Together with her husband Rubin, Judy tried to reach the Jewish community in Syria to see if there was any way to help. After many attempts, they finally made contact. Their first shipment of Jewish books reached Syria, and shortly after, Rubin tragically passed away. Judy was suddenly a widow with three young children. Most people would have given up. Judy did not. She created the Rubin Feld Fund, and Jews from all over began donating to help her continue the life-saving work she and her husband had started together.
Judy eventually remarried to Donald Carr and continued her holy mission of rescuing Syrian Jews. It is hard to imagine the grit and perseverance needed to run an entire secret network from the other side of the world, but Judy managed the impossible. She was so valuable to Israeli intelligence that they refused to tell her just how crucial her information was. She figured it out only after she found herself being debriefed from a report she had written and signed herself.
In the spirit of secret missions, Judy also told us about her successful effort to smuggle out the Keter, the Damascus Codex, written in 1260 and containing all 24 books of Tanach. I asked her how she managed to smuggle the Keter out of Syria. “Some secrets I will take with me,” Judy said with a smile. I tried. But I am no Judy, and I have zero intelligence-gathering talent to speak of.
Parting with the Keter was difficult for her, even knowing it would be safe in Jerusalem. When she brought it to be authenticated, a Tunisian Rabbi read the two bills of sale and began to sob uncontrollably. “Get this out of my home. I have just seen G-d.” He could not believe he was touching such an ancient and holy piece of Jewish history.
When we asked Judy about her female role models, she told us about her neighbor Sofie, a Holocaust survivor who lost her husband and two children in Auschwitz. Sofie survived Dr. Mengele’s experiments, but she could never have more children. “What they did can never happen again,” she told Judy. When Judy’s baby boy was born, she traveled back to Sudbury so that Sofie could meet him. Judy says this relationship shaped her life in many ways.
Judy’s role model in adulthood was Shula Cohen, also known as Shulamit Kishik Cohen or “The Pearl.” Shula was a legendary Israeli spy who smuggled Jews out of Lebanon and other dangerous regions. She was caught, brutally tortured, and spent seven years in a Beirut prison. Judy confided in Shula when she was afraid. She could not discuss her secret identity with many people, but Shula understood the pressure and the danger. When Judy needed strength and encouragement, Shula gave it to her.
There is so much more to be said about Judy Feld Carr, one of the greatest unsung heroes in Jewish history. We live in a world where it is easy to scroll past tragedy. Judy could have read about 12 Jews dying in a minefield and simply moved on with her life. But she did not look away. Through political advocacy, bribery, ransom payments, and daring smuggling missions, Judy saved thousands of Jewish lives and helped preserve the Syrian Jewish community.
Judy embodied compassion and unwavering love for the Jewish people. Sharing her story with children everywhere will always be one of the greatest honors of our lives.
Credit goes to Judy Feld Carr for speaking with us, and to Harold Troper’s biography, The Rescuer, for documenting her incredible mission