Julius “Jules” Fox was in his early 40s and firmly established as a Washington lawyer and accountant when he decided to begin again.

Fox left his position as a name partner in a Washington law firm, moved with his wife, Perla, and their daughter to Israel, strengthened his Hebrew and passed both the Israeli bar and accounting examinations in Hebrew.

Fox, a lawyer, certified public accountant and longtime supporter of Jewish causes in Washington and Israel, died on May 22 in San Diego. He was 97.

“He enjoyed scholarship and learning,” Perla Fox said. That interest led him to support Jewish education in the Washington area.

Born in Philadelphia, Fox was the son of a pants manufacturer. His parents had limited formal education, but he excelled academically.

He graduated near the top of his class at West Philadelphia High School and received a full scholarship to Lowell Textile Institute in Massachusetts.

In 1950, he married Perla Grossberg, whom he had met at Pine Forest Camp, a Jewish summer camp in the Pocono Mountains.
When Fox first saw her, she was wearing pigtails and braces. He told a friend he wished she were older so he could date her, unaware that she was already 16.

Their marriage lasted 75 years, and they had three children: Jordan, Ken and Judy.

“He was absolutely the best husband anybody could ask for,” Perla Fox said. “He encouraged me in anything that I wanted to do. He was just a delight.”

Fox first studied textile engineering with the intention of entering his father’s business. He later turned to accounting and law, becoming both a CPA and an attorney and building a Washington, D.C., practice focused on tax and estate matters.

He studied at Southeastern University, earned his law degree from American University’s Washington College of Law and taught law there for about 14 years.

Fox became a name partner in Grossberg, Yochelson, Fox and Beyda. His family recalled him as a trusted adviser whose judgment was sought in professional and personal matters.

“He was the smartest man I knew throughout my life,” daughter Judy Rudin said. “He was always a resource for anything that any of us as his children needed.”

His advice was so central to family decisions that “Let’s ask Dad” became a common refrain.

Fox took an active role in Washington’s Jewish community. He served as president of the Young Leadership group of the region’s United Jewish Appeal. He was treasurer of the Jewish Community Council, chaired its budget committee and served on the local Board of Jewish Education.

Fox did not grow up in a particularly observant home. Perla came from a more traditional Jewish background and kept kosher. After their marriage, he adopted those household traditions, she said.

“He went along with the tradition that we had in our household,” Perla Fox said. “There was never a question. I think this really showed what his character was.”

The couple began studying Hebrew in the 1960s with the wives of Israeli diplomats in Washington. They traveled to Israel several times, including on a Young Jewish Leadership mission.

“We were both so impressed with everything that we saw there,” said Perla Fox, who is 95. “We felt that this was a unique period of Jewish history, and we wanted to have a front-row seat and be part of it.”

They moved to Israel in 1972. Fox initially told his law partners he was taking a sabbatical, though his family said he hoped the move would become permanent.

He sometimes explained the move with humor: They wanted to live in a Jewish country, he would say, and Israel was the only one they could find.

In Israel, Fox rebuilt his career, using his knowledge of American and Israeli tax and legal matters to assist clients.
Fox and his wife were early members of ESRA, which helped English-speaking immigrants adjust to life in Israel through education, employment assistance and other services.

Rudin described her father as small in stature — about 5 feet, 3 inches tall — but large in presence. His height quickly became unimportant to those who encountered his intelligence and confidence, she said.

At home, he was dependable and deeply involved in family life. He attended Rudin’s high school track meets and later rose before dawn to drive her back to her Israeli military base after weekend leave.

Fox taught his family to distinguish between important disputes and those that were “not worth the stomach lining.”

After many years in Israel, Fox and his wife spent about five years in Washington helping care for her aging parents. They then returned to Israel before settling in San Diego in 2002 to be closer to Rudin and their grandchildren.

Fox continued reading about law, taxation, politics and world affairs into his later years and maintained an office near his senior community.

Rudin said his generosity extended beyond money. He gave his time, attention, judgment and support, often before anyone asked.

“He showed up for his family,” she said. “He was willing to do whatever it took to support us.”

“He was never jealous of anybody else,” Perla Fox said. “He encouraged me to do whatever it was I wanted to do.”

Rudin said his influence remains part of the family.

“People are telling me that my dad lives on in me,” Rudin said. “Now it’s up to us, his descendants, to carry on his legacy.”

Ellen Braunstein is a freelance obituary writer. She welcomes suggestions for individuals who had meaningful ties to the greater Washington Jewish community. Email csix@midatlanticmedia.com.