Veteran Journalist, Author Judith Oppenheimer Dies at Age 82

By Stephanie Shapiro and Toby Oppenheimer

Judith Oppenheimer, an award-winning author, journalist, teacher and great wit, passed away peacefully in her sleep on Wednesday, May 1, in Northwest Baltimore. She was 82.

Judy was born to Jeanne and Ralph Altman at Columbia Women’s Hospital in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 20, 1942. She lived on Simms Place in Northeast D.C., a diverse and lively neighborhood, until she was 9, when her parents moved the family to the Northern Virginia suburbs.

In 1959, Judy graduated from Washington-Lee High School in Arlington, Virginia, and majored in American Studies at George Washington University, graduating in 1963.

She then began a long career in journalism, landing a job at The Washington Post as a “copy girl” that led to a Post internship, both positions that generally went in those days to white male graduates of Ivy League schools.

Judy became a reporter at the Post before taking a job at the Philadelphia Daily News in 1966. There, she worked as a film critic and was one of only two women reporters on staff.

Judy met and married Jerry Oppenheimer, an investigative reporter at the Daily News. After their first son, Jesse, was born in 1969, they moved to Washington, D.C., where Jerry got a job with the Evening Star.

Judith Oppenheimer — Although she lived for brief periods in Baltimore and Philadelphia, Judy Oppenheimer spent most of her life in the D.C. area. (Provided photo)

When their second son, Toby, was born in 1971, Judy focused on raising the kids and freelance journalism.

Over the years, Judy’s writing for the Village Voice, Washingtonian, the Washington Post Magazine, Salon, The Forward, Moment and other publications earned numerous awards.

As a reporter and senior editor for the Baltimore Jewish Times, she traveled to Argentina to cover the aftermath of the 1994 terrorist attack on a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires. She also wrote a cover story about Henrietta Szold when the Jewish Museum of Maryland presented an exhibition of the pioneering Zionist leader’s life and work in April of 1995, as well as a profile of Holocaust survivor, author and Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel.

“Judy was truly a journalist’s journalist and a one-of-a-kind human being,” said Jmore Editor-in-Chief Alan Feiler, who worked closely with Oppenheimer at the Jewish Times. “She didn’t mince words and called it like she saw it, but she was a person with a big heart and a love of life and family and people. She also was hysterical and loved to laugh. So many people loved her.”

Judy could turn the most mundane assignment into a lively read. As editor of the Montgomery County Advertiser, she brought sharp and amusing writing to a free suburban newspaper.

Judy’s writing also reflected her profound emotional intelligence. In a tribute to her late cousin, feminist and cultural critic Ellen Willis that appeared on the First of the Month website, she wrote about how important it was for the two of them to sit close to one another: “I guess it was a way of saying without words, You know how much I’ve always loved you, don’t you? You know how important you’ve always been to me, right? How much I’ll miss you, forever.”

In 1989, Judy’s first book, “Private Demons” (Ballantine), a literary biography of writer Shirley Jackson, received a glowing review in the New York Times Book Review. More than the acclaim, though, Judy said her biggest thrill came from researching and writing the book.

Her second book, “Dreams of Glory” (Summit Books), published in 1991, chronicled a season in her son Toby’s high school football team.

In the late 1990s, Judy entered a master’s program designed for journalists interested in teaching at the University of Maryland, College Park, where she taught four classes per semester while carrying a full course load and earning a 4.0 grade point average. She was a natural teacher who loved working with students.

Judy loved good writing of all kinds and was an ardent advocate of direct, economic, un-showy prose. With her sharp insights and sharper wit, she was an engaging conversationalist who listened carefully and lived for laughter.

She was devoted to being an extraordinary writer, but more importantly, a wonderful mother, daughter, sister and friend.

Apart from some short interludes in Philadelphia and Baltimore, she lived her entire life in the D.C. area.

Judy is survived by her sons, Jesse and Toby; her grandchildren, Max, Louise and Julien; her sister, Ida; her nephew, Koby; her daughter-in-law, Josee; and a handful of loyal, amazing friends who stuck by her side until the end.

Judy was predeceased by her parents and sister, Deborah Altman. She will be laid to rest next to Deborah at Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York.

A former Baltimore Sun writer, Stephanie Shapiro was a longtime friend and colleague of Judy Oppenheimer. Toby Oppenheimer, Judy’s youngest son, is a filmmaker based in Brooklyn, New York.