In 1954, a proud father, Rabbi Benzion Blech, wrote a letter to the editor in the Brooklyn Eagle, which he called “My Public Thanks to America.” He praised the opportunities America presented and then continued: “The reason for my joy is the fact that my daughter, in the short time in which we are here, and after she was already married and keeping house, has accomplished so much; namely, she has just passed the New York State Bar examination on her first try to become a lawyer.”

His daughter, Lee Blech First, would ultimately become a judge, and today she is 96 years old, commanding a sharp wit and a young personality. She lives in Riverdale, and her son Mitchell First’s articles can be found regularly in The Jewish Link.

Judge First offers a unique, firsthand perspective into historical events that have unfolded in the 20th century, having witnessed drastic changes in culture and technology, massive shifts of global power, and significant turning points in world history.

At a time when female lawyers were rare, Judge First faced clear gender-related obstacles in her legal career. Anticipating these challenges, when she naturalized she changed her name to Lee, from Lea. As she put it: “Getting a lawyer’s letter from a woman—Lea Blech—who’s gonna respect that?” Lee, however, sounds like a man.

When she was a student, there were only three girls in her law class, and the teacher did not want to call on them. “This wasn’t so long ago, you know,” Judge First remarked. Her first day in court, she was told by the judge to leave and bring her husband, also a lawyer, in her place. “He threw me out of court and got away with it.” When she became a judge, there were only a few female judges in New York.

Once, a man told her she was “too gorgeous” to be a judge. “See, in those days women were not allowed to look good and have a brain,” Judge First said. That man gave her a nickname that would stick with her ever since: “Judge Gorgeous.” Judge First explained that her brother found through gematria that “gorgeous” in Hebrew is equal to “613.”

Judge First almost had a similar role to Judge Judy. The problem? She was too nice, and that would not make for good television. Nor was she going to change her personality.

In her book “Justice Is Blonde: The Unorthodox Story of an Orthodox Woman,” Judge First describes how in Switzerland her father was adamant that he remain his authentic, Orthodox self—beard, black hat, coat and all—and she notes that his basis is that when someone dies, Hashem asks, “Where was the true you?”

While living in Borough Park, Rabbi Blech maintained this philosophy by keeping his beard even as others ridiculed him. Indeed, Borough Park was once a place where someone like Rabbi Blech would stand out. As Judge First explained, “I came to Borough Park B.C.,” as in, “Before Chasidim.”

Reflecting on her incompatibility with a Judge Judy-type personality, Judge First said: “I have to be myself, right? Like my father said, he has to be himself.” That potential television gig aside, she loved her work as a judge and really appreciated the kavod that came with it, regardless of how much income it brought in.

As a teenager, Judge First heard the news unfold throughout World War II, and she recalls everyone rejoicing in the streets after the war ended. Until 1941, in the midst of the war, her family lived in Switzerland. The extent of Hitler’s genocidal atrocities was not yet fully known, but Judge First remembers that, once in a while, a Jew escaping from a concentration camp would come to Switzerland and raise alarm over what the Nazis were doing. She recalled that “we could not believe it until after the war ended, and they finally found out the exact extent of what they did.”

The Blech family, worried about Hitler’s territorial ambitions, determined that it was time to leave for America. Though immigration was severely restricted, rabbis were allowed entry, including Judge First’s father. On the journey, several passengers became ill, including Rabbi Blech, who had to get off the boat in Cuba. It would take a month for him to join the rest of the family in America.

When shown a photograph she took as part of the naturalization process—found through the genealogy records website FamilySearch—Judge First said, “Nobody will know it’s me, I’ll tell you that,” but then added, with laughter: “I’m not gonna change history. It’s history; that’s what I looked like.”

Judge First’s future husband, Harry First, was held as a prisoner of war by the Germans for about a year and a half. She said that they didn’t suspect he was Jewish because they thought he was too good-looking.

After the war, Harry met Judge First, but he did not have a religious upbringing at all, so Rabbi Blech forbade the marriage. Harry ultimately promised that he would learn to become observant. Judge First recalled that “in those days, they didn’t have such a thing as baal teshuvas. Nobody wanted to become Orthodox.” Yet he was determined to take on the obligations.

Four years after they met, her father finally approved of the marriage. Judge First, laughing, pointed out that by the time her husband passed away they had many grandchildren and great grandchildren with peyot She also has grandchildren on Chabad shlichus, from India to Belgium to Russia to Germany. “They are all over the world, making people frum,” she said. All in all, through their three children, Mitchell, Shari and Seth, Judge First has over 60 grandchildren, including even great-great-grandchildren.

Thinking about the technological advancements of today, Judge First finds it hard to navigate everything, and noted how there is an expectation to know each new thing. “And then they change the thing … because they want to sell a new one.”

Even so, with the assistance of a young man, Judge First posts weekly on Instagram to many followers. She also uses email, which she understands is essential. Without it, she said, “you don’t know about funerals. You don’t go to weddings. That’s part of life now. You have to know those things.”

Judge First does matchmaking through Zoom as well, and finds that “today it is so hard to marry off people.” Every person says, ‘I want this, I want that,’” she observed. “Years ago, you go on a date. The boy or girl did not have to be perfect.”

As for current events, Judge First believes that, beyond the hoopla of politics, we should be concerned about what is good for the Jews. She remembers during the war her father reading the newspaper, and he would say, “Is it good for the Jews?”

“The world is so complicated today,” she added. “You don’t know how it’s going to get more complicated. Next year, you won’t even recognize the world.” She pointed out how her family eagerly awaits Moshiach, when everything is ultimately expected to change anyway.

One might expect that someone with so much ambition and experience in this world might have started out with a role model. Her response, when asked who this was: “I am the role model.”

Judge First is author of “Justice is Blonde: The Unorthodox Story of an Orthodox Woman” and “Life Can Be Fragile. Handle With Prayer,” which are available on Amazon. She is @judgegorgeous on Instagram and YouTube.

Alan E. Weintraub holds a master’s degree in history and an advanced certificate in public history. He is also a genealogy researcher and advanced chess player. Thoughts are welcome at [email protected].