Mordechai Judovits is a long-time student of the Talmud, a retired businessman and a Holocaust survivor. He grew up in the town of Dej, in Transylvania, Romania, and studied for several years in the Yeshivas of Dej. He is the grandson of Rabbi Moshe Paneth, the rabbi of Dej, and a greatgrandson of Yechezkel Paneth, the author of Sefer Mareh Yechezkel and former Chief Rabbi of Transylvania. His mother, Nechama Reizel, a Holocaust martyr, was the daughter of the Dejer Rebbe, Moshe Paneth. His father, Shlomo ben Mordechai Judovits, also a Holocaust martyr, was a landowner and businessman.
In March 1944, German troops marched into Hungary, at which time the Jews from Hungary and Transylvania were deported to Auschwitz and other concentration camps. Mordechai, his parents, his brothers and sister were carried away to Auschwitz. The last time Mordechai saw his parents was when he was separated from the rest of his family in Auschwitz. Liberated in 1945, he returned to Dej to be reunited with his family, soon realizing that he was the only survivor of his family. In 1947, he immigrated to the U.S., where he married his wife Helen and raised a family. Since 1978, upon retiring from business, he has been very active in Jewish organizations, in particular the Boca Raton Synagogue. He served as president of the Boca Raton Synagogue. As chairman of the building committee, he supervised the construction of the Mikvah and the synagogue buildings.
He is also the author of Sages of the Talmud, published by Urim Publications in 2009.
