It is with a heavy and full heart that I share the passing of one of Tanenbaum’s pillars, our dearest Dr. Judith “Judy” Banki, Senior Advisor of Interreligious Affairs at Tanenbaum. Heavy, because we have lost a special friend and a visionary. Full, because Judy left an indelible imprint on this world – and on all who were lucky enough to know her. An internationally renowned writer, lecturer, pioneer in interreligious affairs, a mother, grandmother, and dear friend to loved ones worldwide, Judy passed away on August 17, 2026.
Born in Brooklyn, New York in 1928, Judy studied liberal arts at the University of Wisconsin. In 1959, she joined the American Jewish Committee’s Department of Interreligious Affairs. When our namesake Rabbi Marc Tanenbaum became its director a couple of years later, the two began a close collaboration that would span more than two decades.
Working together, Judy was key to laying the groundwork for long-term Catholic-Jewish reconciliation. She analyzed Catholic textbooks and religious texts, and ensured revisions so that Jews and Judaism were portrayed with accuracy and respect. She authored “The Image of the Jews in Catholic Teaching,” a memorandum that helped pave the way for the historic declaration, Nostra Aetate, adopted at the Second Vatican Council. And during that seminal event, it was Judy who wrote summaries of its deliberations that were later published in the annual American Jewish Year Book. She was a founding member of the Women of Faith Task Force, and the only woman to give a paper at the 1993 Vatican-Jewish conference in Baltimore.
Judy served as the Associate National Director of Interreligious Affairs at The American Jewish Committee and was editor of its Interreligious Newsletter. Her writings appeared in various publications, including Commonweal, Religious Education, the National Catholic Register, and the Journal of Ecumenical Studies. For two consecutive years, her coverage of the Second Vatican Council was featured as “The Year in Religion” articles of the American Jewish Year Book (1965-66). Her article “Baltimore and Eisenach: Reflections on Two Dialogues” was awarded The Graymoor Ecumenical Prize in 1993.
When Rabbi Tanenbaum passed in 1992, his widow Dr. Georgette F. Bennett founded the Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding. Judy was right there, by her side, and soon joined Tanenbaum as its Director of Special Programs.
In the years that followed, her interreligious work continued. She collected, edited and published many of Rabbi Tanenbaum’s speeches and writings, most particularly in the 2002 volume A Prophet for Our Time: An Anthology of the Writings of Rabbi Marc H. Tanenbaum (Fordham University Press), which she co-edited with Dr. Eugene Fisher.
Over the years, Judy was repeatedly honored for her longstanding commitment to interfaith dialogue, receiving an honorary doctorate from Seton Hall University in 2001, the Interfaith Gold Medallion from the International Council of Christians and Jews (ICCJ), the Nostra Aetate Award from the National Catholic Center on Holocaust Education at Seton Hill University, and the 2009 Shevet Achim Award from the Council of Centers on Jewish-Christian Relations (CCJR).
When Judy was honored by the National Workshop on Christian-Jewish Relations in 1992, they shared that…
“No one has done more to shape the nature and meaning of interreligious relations as we have developed them, perhaps uniquely, in this country than Judith Banki.”
In 2022, Tanenbaum had the privilege of recognizing Judy’s lifetime of work with the Rabbi Marc H. Tanenbaum Award for the Advancement of Interreligious Understanding at our 30th Anniversary Gala. It was a joy to watch Judy receive a standing ovation from a room full of distinguished academics, scholars, clergy, admirers, friends, and peers. As some of Judy’s close friends and former colleagues shared,
“She’s a passionate learner and what’s more, she takes what she learns and brings it into the world, into the relationships that she forms and into her work that she does in inter religious dialogue.”
– Rabbi Josh Franklin“…when I think about Judy, I am inspired to keep working tirelessly and optimistically towards justice and in the world and unity among people of all religions, all faiths, all types, and the great, great need for understanding.”
– Bill Abrams
Personally, Judy was one of the Tanenbaum staff members who greeted me when I began my tenure almost 19 years ago. I was stunned by her recall of events of decades before and moved by her commitment to a world where the Abrahamic family could build respect for each other. There was never a staff meeting where Judy didn’t provide historical context and present-day possibilities for what could be rather than managing what was. Visionary truly is the best word to describe Judy Banki’s contributions to the world.
We will continue celebrating Judy in this life and beyond by upholding her unwavering commitment to dialogue, understanding, and the shared values that unite us all, regardless of religious or spiritual belief.
Judy will be remembered for her unparalleled contributions to the field of interreligious understanding, her incredible tenacity, infectious humor, sharp wit, and deep love for her family. Judy believed in the power of dialogue to change attitudes and create a world that respects religious differences. May Tanenbaum continue honoring the legacy of Dr. Judith Banki by moving her vision forward, and may her memory be for a blessing. We are blessed to have known her.
In Judy’s memory,
Rev. Mark Fowler
CEO, Tanenbaum
Click here to read “Remembering Judy Banki” by Joyce S. Dubensky
