A gregarious stockbroker with Merrill Lynch, Judy Spiegel was a dedicated volunteer at the Southampton Hospital’s Ellen Hermanson Breast Center on New York’s Long Island, on Holocaust memorial projects, and on giving back to her community in many other ways.
In 2017, she and her husband of more than 40 years, Kevin, relocated to Surfside, and settled on the sixth floor of Champlain Tower South, where they became familiar faces in the community. With Kevin away on a business trip, Judy Spiegel was alone in her apartment in the early hours of June 24, when it went down in the devastating collapse. She was identified on July 10 as among those who lost their lives in the disaster.
Spiegel grew up in South Bellview, N.Y. After marrying, the young couple began to raise their family in Plainview, N.Y., before establishing themselves in Southampton, on the eastern end of Long Island. They had three children and became longtime pillars of the Chabad of Southampton community.
“Judy was so warm, nice and kind,” Rabbi Rafe Konikov, co-director of Chabad of Southampton, told Newsday. “Whenever she walked into a room, she filled it with positive energy and was always smiling and filled with life.”
Spiegel’s daughter Rachel noted that her mother was a passionate advocate for Holocaust awareness. On learning of her passing, Rachel Spiegel posted on behalf of herself and her brothers, Michael and Josh, that “today was one of the hardest days of our lives.” She thanked the first responders, including the IDF team, for all their hard work.
“The intense rollercoaster of emotions that we have experienced over the past 18 days has been indescribable, wrote Rachel Spiegel. “We truly appreciate all of our family and friends for being by our side, rooting us on, and praying that we be reunited with our mom. We hope our mom is looking down on us with pride, knowing we fought our hardest to find her.”
“We are so proud to be her kids,” her daughter continued, “and we will pass on all the amazing lessons she taught us. Her spirit will continue to live on in all of us.”
Judy Spiegel is survived by her husband and children. She will be laid to rest July 13 at the Mt. Sinai cemetery in Miami.
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