Biography
Born and raised in New York City, I received my B.A. in philosophy from Antioch College in 1964, and my Ph.D. in linguistics from the University of Chicago in 1975. I began my career at Northwestern in 1972 as its very first full-time instructor in Modern Hebrew, but soon moved to a full-time faculty position in linguistics. My first resear
ch focus was theoretical: the syntax and semantics of compound nouns in English.
A serendipitous consulting gig in a San Francisco contracts case in 1978 got me interested in the then-nascent interdisciplinary field of language and law, where I was one of the first linguists to explore the ways in which language variables affect the legal process. In addition to published research, I coordinated two pioneering conferences on language and law, and also served as a free-lance “forensic linguist” in over 50 legal cases, both civil and criminal, all of which involved language in dispute.
During my 29 active years at Northwestern University I served as Department Chair and Assistant Dean in WCAS while also winning awards as an outstanding teacher. In 1991, I was chosen by CAS students to be their commencement speaker.
In 2001, I took early retirement in order to pursue my personal interest—as the daughter of German Jews—in German-Jewish dialogue and reconciliation. Since then, I have written a book and numerous essays about my positive, stereotype-shattering experiences in fifteen visits to Germany since 1998. I now lecture in both the US and Germany on these experiences, as well as on two themes that proved central to those experiences: identity issues, and the nature of reconciliation and forgiveness. In June 2015, I was awarded by the German President the Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany for my “exceptional achievements in promoting reconciliation between the German and Jewish peoples.” For more information see my website at: www.judithnlevi.com .
My book manuscript, Reconciliation Odyssey: A Jew Discovers a Different Germany, was published in a German translation in 2016. Following publication, I organized and conducted two book tours throughout Germany addressing both adults and high school students. I described my family’s history in Germany, and explained the positive forces in today’s Germany that continue to draw me back to Germany.
All of the essays I’ve written on the major themes of my book can be accessed on my website; the essay “Flowers in a Field of Ashes” provides an excellent introduction to how my German adventures began, and my perspective on contemporary Germany. I continue to give public lectures on the themes indicated above; my audiences in the US have included synagogue and church congregations, university seminars, senior citizens’ organizations, and other interfaith groups. Most recently, I’ve added a new talk that is especially topical in this era of identity-driven polarization: “The Identity Paradox: How Our Multiple Identities Both Divide and Unite Us.” A videotape of a 2019 presentation of this talk can be viewed on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpRFJddVBLo&feature=youtu.be .