Judith Wolf Mandell

Judith Wolf Mandell, 84, passed away peacefully in her home in Nashville, Tennessee on September 23, 2024. Judith loved and was beloved by her family. She is survived by her husband of 38 years, Allan Mandell; her children, Abbie Wolf (Ari Dubin) and Seth Wolf (Adina); her step-children Laurie, Barry, and Stephanie; and her nieces Alexis Mason (Scott) and Lindsey Barnes (Matthew). She was also a loving grandmother to Orly, Anna, Davi, Emmie, Byron, Alena, Jessica, and Natalie. She was the great aunt to Brooke, Conor, Owen, and Ellis.

Judith was preceded in death by her loving family - sister Shirley Benjamin, and her parents, David and Ann Chernus.

Judith was raised in Plainfield, New Jersey. In high school, she was editor-in-chief of her school newspaper, as well as valedictorian. She continued on to Brandeis University but transferred to the University of Michigan, where she met her best friend for life, Marion. She received her Masters Degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

The next year, she began her career at Viking Press in New York City as the assistant publicity director. She would fondly recount riding around the city in a bus with her boss distributing flyers to promote their latest book. A trailblazer, Judith was in the first wave of women in the professional workforce. She worked in public relations for most of her career in positions such as a public television producer at KPBS-TV in San Diego and the press secretary for the mayor of San Diego, who presented her with a key to the city. She was also an account manager at a number of public relations firms, garnering publicity for a wide variety of San Diego institutions.

Her proudest professional accomplishment was in 2016 when she wrote a book inspired by her granddaughter, Davi, and her experience in a body cast, called “Sammy’s Broken Leg,” which has sold over 3,000 copies and is on shelves in childrens’ hospitals and libraries nationally.

Judith was a woman who valued family and had an incredible amount of love to give. She spent an abundance of time with her grandchildren, where she would treasure every moment spent in whimsy and adventure. She had many things she loved deeply and was known for, including her stylish clothes (especially her scarves), seashell and sand collections from around the world, ardent love of rainbows, and the way she said “orange” (the only word she still said in her New Jersey accent). She was incredibly social and cherished her volunteer work at Congregation Micah, where she put her public relations skills to work as a volunteer. She was also an active member of B’nai B’rith.

Judith’s life and love is not something able to be summarized in words, and it is impossible to try. She lived a full life and she loved with her entire heart, mind, and soul. Judith’s memory will live on in all those who loved her. Her family will always see her in rainbows, colorful birds, and oceans that are blessedly free of kelp. She will be missed in countless ways.

A funeral service and burial will be held on September 26 at 11:00 a.m. at Congregation Micah in Nashville. It will also be live streamed.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donations to Congregation Micah to help support Jewish life and education in Nashville, two of her most sacred values.