Project Kesher Welcomes New Board Member Judith R Smith

We are thrilled to announce that Judith R Smith has joined the board of Project Kesher. Judith is a PhD psychotherapist, author, and professor emerita of social work at Fordham University. She has been involved in feminist issues since 1971, when she co-produced the first film made by an all-women crew on women’s liberation, The Woman’s Film.  

Judith’s professional achievements have centered around understanding and supporting women’s experiences in parenting.  She recently wrote a book for mothers of adult children with serious mental illness and substance use disorder, a population that had previously been left in the shadows. This work, Difficult: Challenging Adult Children Through Conflict and Change (2022), has become a lifeline for many.  

In her early 30’s, Judy transitioned from secular Judaism to becoming an active member of a synagogue, following a visit to the towns in Poland and Russia where her grandparents lived before immigrating to the United States. Twenty years later, she travelled with Project Kesher on the Voyage on the Volga. She is very excited to be on the Project Kesher board.