JUDIT LeBOVIT

Dr. JUDIT BRETAN LeBOVIT  
Longtime Fairfax County resident, passed away in peace at the age of 95, January 17, 2018. Born in Cluj, Romania, to Nicolae Bretan and Nora Osvat, Judit was a brilliant student and blossoming starlet in Hungarian and Romanian Theatre. Judit's theatre debut was in Oscar Wilde's "Salome" in 1938, and she continued to act throughout her time at Franz Joseph University, where she earned her doctorate, graduating summa cum laude. Summoned by the Ministry of Culture to the Romanian National Theatre in Bucharest, Judit was the hit of the 1946-1947 season, hailed as the "brilliant young actress from Cluj." Judit met her husband, Harry LeBovit, after a performance in 1948. She married the American Diplomat and relocated to Washington, DC, where she began her second act as an academic. While serving as the Supervising Director of the Department of Foreign Languages for Washington, DC Public Schools, Judit became known as an International Latin Education authority and pioneered the modern way of teaching Latin. Judit dedicated much of her life to promoting the works of her father. An accomplished composer, musician, baritone and pioneer of Romanian Opera, Nicolae Bretan's legacy suffered for his refusal to align himself with the Ceauescu regime. Judit worked tirelessly to see that her father's work would be known. From an audience with Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican, to authoring two biographical books, to her relentless efforts to see her father's works performed on stage, Judit led the Nicolae Bretan Music Foundation in advocating far and wide. In July 2015, Judit traveled to Berlin to attend the production of "Golem" at the Neuk��llner Oper where she was able to hear resounding applause for her father, which was well-deserved and long overdue. Judit Bretan LeBovit was laid to rest at King David Memorial Gardens in Falls Church, VA, on January 19, 2018. Memorial contributions may be made to aspca.org. Arrangements entrusted to TORCHINSKY HEBREW FUNERAL HOME, 202-541-1001.