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Judy Somberg

b. 1951

by JWA Staff
Our work to expand the Encyclopedia is ongoing. We are providing this brief biography for Judy Somberg until we are able to commission a full entry.

Judy Somberg and two colleagues with Cambridge Sister City Proclamation, March 1987

Judy Somberg’s work with the Sister Cities Project in El Salvador helped locals return to their villages after the military takeover in 1987 and freed eleven people who had been “disappeared.” Committed to social justice from an early age, Somberg worked with anti-war and civil rights groups as well as the women’s movement. Her experiences getting arrested at demonstrations led her to a career in law. In 1986, Somberg helped found the Cambridge-El Salvador Sister City Project, which has helped develop schools, youth programs, and women’s business cooperatives. In 1987, after eleven villagers in the sister city of San Jose Las Flores were “disappeared,” Somberg led a delegation to raise international awareness and free the villagers. She continues her work in El Salvador on issues like election monitoring. She also lives and works as a lawyer in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where she was instrumental in implementing a living wage campaign. She is a member of the NLG International Committee and chair of the Task Force on the Americas.

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How to cite this page

Jewish Women's Archive. "Judy Somberg." (Viewed on March 29, 2024) <http://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/somberg-judy>.