Judry Subar

Judry Subar was born and raised in Rochester, New York, where his family was active in a Modern Orthodox shul by the name of Beth Sholom.  It was there, and in his home, that Jud acquired a love of learning and an appreciation for the fine points of Jewish thought and practice.  He spent time in his formative years on skills such as Jewish organizational work, ta’amei hamikra (cantillation of the Torah and Haftarot), and how to have a good time on Shabbat and the Chagim hanging out with friends, all of which have served him well at our Beth Sholom here in Potomac. 

By the time Jud was a teenager, he was a semiprofessional Ba’al Koreh (Torah reader) and Ba’al Toke’ah (shofar blower).  Nonetheless, he decided to expand his horizons.  He left home to attend college at Yeshiva University, where he received an undergraduate degree in political science.  While at YU, Jud spent most of his limudei kodesh (Jewish studies) time in the University’s Yeshiva Program.  After completing his undergraduate work at a Jewish university in New York, Jud opted to pursue his graduate education at a Jesuit school in Washington -- Georgetown University Law Center, from which he graduated in 1980.  For the first several years of his legal career, Jud practiced in the private sector in Rochester before returning to Washington where, since 1985, he has been a lawyer with the United States Department of Justice. 

As a young adult in Rochester, Jud was lucky enough to meet the then Amy Finkle to whom he has been married for twenty-five years.  For most of his life, Jud has been interested in outdoor activities such as biking, hiking and running, but he has spent much of the last quarter century trying (unsuccessfully, he is proud to admit) to keep up with his tri-athlete wife, who doubles as a research nutritionist at NIH.  He is also constantly challenged in one interesting way or another by their three sons, Zach (a recent college graduate with a passion for writing about food), Micah (who is taking time off from college this year to receive intensive outdoor leadership training and to engage in international volunteer work), and Ayal (a seventh grader at CESJDS), who are all serious athletes in their own rights.  When he has a moment to do so, Jud enjoys dabbling in short story writing.

Since joining Beth Sholom about nineteen years ago, Jud has been active in various aspects of the shul’s operations.  In addition to being a member of the shul’s board, Jud has participated in the work of its Youth, Personnel, and Religious Committees.  Jud makes himself available whenever the shul needs him to lead services and read Torah.  He is one of the pillars of our community. He is thrilled to be sharing the honors this year with the Lamperts, Molly Zuckerman, and Oren Charnoff, who have given so much to Beth Sholom in so many different ways.