Dr. Judith S.B. GuedaliaPhD
Dr. Judith Guedalia

Dr. Judith Guedalia — Bio

חיה שרה ציפורה · September 16, 1945 — May 10, 2018

As written by Judith herself:

Dr. Judith S.B. Guedalia is Director of Neuropsychology at Shaare Zedek Medical Center, Jerusalem; She is Co-Chair of Nefesh Israel and was a "practicing" Rabisa (Sephardic Rebbitzin) for many years, as such her academic education spanned many continents and cities. Her B.A. studies began at University College, London, and continued at Jews' College, London; Hunter College, NY; Efrata Teachers College, Israel and U Mass, Amherst. She has an M.S. from Springfield College, Massachusetts, USA; a School Psychology Credential from University of Southern California, Los Angeles, and a Ph.D. in Psychology from Union Institute and University, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.

Dr. Guedalia is the director of the Neuropsychology Unit, Shaare Zedek Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel since 1990 and a member of the MCE (Mass Casualty Events) Team in the Emergency Room there.

She is a Licensed Psychologist (Ministry of Health, State of Israel) and a Supervisor Level Specialist in the areas of Neuropsychology, Developmental, Medical, and Rehabilitation Psychology. She is a certified School Psychologist (State of California, USA) and Practioner of EMDR and has (unfortunately) a lot of experience in the field of Traumatology.

She has written peer review journal articles in the areas of Neuropsychology and Judaism and Psychology. She writes a monthly column for The Jewish Press (www.thejewishpress.com — the largest American Jewish Weekly) since 2004.

Dr. Guedalia lives Jerusalem, Israel with her husband and four children since 1969.

A shorter bio, also in her own words (2008):

Dr. Judith Guedalia, director of Shaare Zedek Medical Center's Neuropsychology Unit, applies her psychological and neurological training to understanding how physiological dysfunction affects behavior in order to provide psychotherapy for patients with or without neurological problems. Among the many symptoms the Neuropsychology Unit has treated are emotional trauma, anxiety, depression, parenting and family issues, stress, children of divorce, self-esteem, patient adjustment to neurological or cognitive problems, adjustment to chronic illness, family adjustment to and coping with a member's illness and adjustment to developmental disabilities.

Dr. J.B. Guedalia, as Senior Medical Psychologist, is also a member of the ER (Emergency Room) Trauma Staff in times of Mass Community Events (MCE, or ARAN the Hebrew acronym) and has unfortunately acquired much experience in the treatment of Acute Stress and Trauma. Dr. Guedalia is a licensed EMDR (a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy intervention) Therapist and is in the process of completing the requirements to be a supervisor of other EMDR therapists. Dr. Guedalia is the founder and co-chair of Nefesh Israel, the Israeli branch of the NEFESH International Organization the Networking Association for Orthodox Mental Health Professionals.

The years after 2008

In the decade after she wrote that bio, Judith published her book A Neuropsychologist's Journal: Interventions and "Judi-isms" (Urim Publications, Jerusalem, 2012; paperback 2015), drawing nearly forty years of her clinical practice into nine sections of essays — 119 of which are also gathered in this archive.

She continued her work with Nefesh-Israel and Atem-Nefesh-Israel, and contributed two book chapters with Frances R. Yoeli on the EMDR Emergency Room and Wards Protocol (EMDR-ER©) she developed at Shaare Zedek — published by Springer in 2009 and 2014. According to that Springer chapter, the protocol was developed "after being present at more than 26 Mass Casualty Events."

In approximately 2010 she was diagnosed with Stage IV B uterine cancer. She wrote about her treatment with humor and unflinching honesty — in her Jewish Press columns and in her 2014 Nefesh conference talk titled "The Challenge of the Challenging Patient, by a Clinician and Such a Patient." From her September 2015 Jewish Press essay Odysseus and Jonah Help During a Fateful Journey:

I have always been a fighter. At birth the doctors told my folks to leave me in the hospital and I'd be dead in three days, but they and I refused to accept the easy way out.

Judith died in Jerusalem on May 10, 2018, age 72. She was buried the same day at Sanhedria Cemetery, Jerusalem. The New York Times obituary that day read:

GUEDALIA — Dr. Judith S.B. Beloved wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, daughter, sister and sister-in-law. We are bereft. Funeral and Shiva in Israel. Guedalia & Bendheim Families.

She was the wife of Rabbi Harris Guedalia, and the mother of Allison (m. Dr. Ari Kupietzky), Jacob (m. Milana), David (m. Dina) and Joshua (m. Esti). Her grandson Sgt. First Class Yosef Malachi Guedalia hy"d (Dec 26, 2000 – Oct 7, 2023), son of David and Dina, fell on October 7th, 2023 while saving the lives of dozens of civilians.

In Memoriam — tributes from her professional community

In the days after her death (May 10, 2018), tributes arrived from organizations and communities she had served, taught, or worked with:

יהי זכרה ברוך