Many educators have had unique life experiences they share with students. One was Judith Isaacson, a Holocaust survivor who taught high school math in Maine.

Many talented educators have had unique life experiences they are willing to share with their students. One of these was Judith Isaacson, a Holocaust survivor who taught high school math in Lewiston, Maine.

Judith was born on July 3, 1925, in Kaposvar, Hungary. In July, 1944, the 19-year-old was arrested by the Nazis and deported to Auschwitz with other members of her family. There she spent eight months in forced labor in an underground munitions plant located in Hessisch Lichtenau. After she was liberated, she married an American intelligence officer. The couple returned to the United States and settled in his home town of Lewiston, Maine.

An intelligent woman, Judith earned her Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics at Bates College in 1965 and her Master’s degree in Mathematics from Bowdoin College in 1967. After earning her degrees, she taught math at Lewiston High School. There she chaired the school’s first Department of Mathematics. Later she gained a position as a Dean at her alma mater, Bates College.

In 1990, Judith published her Holocaust memoir entitled Seed of Sara: Memoirs of a Survivor. The volume served as the inspiration for an electronic chamber opera in 1995 and an experimental film in 1998. The book made the teacher a sought-after speaker for schools, youth groups, and community groups throughout Maine.

Throughout her career as an educator, Judith garnered numerous awards and three honorary degrees. In 2004 she was inducted into the Maine Women’s Hall of Fame. She was also honored with the Deborah Morton Award for Outstanding Women from Westbrook College in 1993. In 1996, she garnered the Gordon S. Hargraves Preservation of Freedom Prize from Bowdoin College, the Maryann Hartman Award for Distinguished Maine Women from the University of Southern Maine, and the Remember Me Award from the Maine Healthcare Association. In 2003, she was recognized as one of the Women of Distinction by the Kennebec Council of the Girl Scouts.

This Chalkboard Champion passed away on November 10, 2015. She was 90 years old.