By Sonja M. Hedgepeth and Rochelle G. Saidel
On behalf of Remember the Women Institute, and from our hearts, with profound sadness we mark the passing of our dear friend and advisory board member Judy Weissenberg Cohen. Judy died in Toronto on September 6, 2026, just short of her 98th birthday. A remarkable Holocaust survivor, she was born in Debrecen, Hungary, on Rosh Hashana, September 17, 1928.
When we first met Judy at a Holocaust conference many years ago, we were immediately struck by her sharp and fearless curiosity. Her questions and comments were grounded in the intelligence of her heart.
Judy had a website, Women and the Holocaust-a Cyberspace of Their Own, an invaluable teaching tool that has been cited in scholarly works. She wrote a memoir, A Cry in Unison (2020, Azrieli Foundation), in which she backs up her memories with historical material and footnotes. The memoir goes beyond her wartime experiences in Auschwitz-Birkenau and tells the story of someone who spent the last three decades of her life in Canada fighting antisemitism and Holocaust denial, as well as supporting Holocaust education.
Unlike many Holocaust survivors, Judy Cohen was never hesitant to discuss sexual violence. She spoke about it openly and honestly. When we edited our 2010 book on the subject, we interviewed Judy and used some of her remarks in our introduction. We are grateful for her wisdom and for her clear recollections about her experiences during the Holocaust. Judy always asked, “Where are the women?” Her work, her website, and her memoir all help to fill this gap in history. We will miss and remember her.
A Bat Mitzvah Message from Judy Weissenberg Cohen
When Maxanne Wallace-Segall was preparing for her bat mitzvah in 2022, her project was interviewing a Holocaust survivor, and we put her in touch with Judy Weissenberg Cohen.
You can read Judy’s inspiring message to Maxanne here.