Kitty Dukakis, First Jewish Spouse of a U.S. Presidential Candidate, Dies at 88

Kitty Dukakis, who passed away this week at the age of 88, etched her name into American political history not as a candidate, but as a first: the first Jewish spouse of a major-party U.S. presidential nominee. Her role beside Democratic candidate Michael Dukakis in 1988 sparked both celebration and controversy within Jewish circles and left a legacy that would shape future conversations around identity, intermarriage, and visibility.

As her husband rose to national prominence, Kitty found herself at the heart of a cultural debate. In 1988, a Colorado Jewish newspaper questioned whether she, as a Jewish woman married to a non-Jewish man, could serve as a positive role model for Jewish youth. Yet, rather than retreat from her Jewish identity, Kitty leaned into it publicly and purposefully.

She joined Boston’s Temple Israel following a 1976 trip to Israel that she described as a “spiritual awakening.” From then on, the Dukakis home began celebrating Jewish traditions such as Passover, even signaling plans to host a White House seder if elected an idea realized only decades later by future administrations.

Born Katherine Dickson in Brookline, Massachusetts, to a family of Jewish immigrants and musicians, Kitty's Jewish identity was shaped early, but not always comfortably. Her mother’s stern and critical nature left deep emotional scars, contributing to battles with depression and substance abuse that Kitty would later confront with remarkable candor.

Her personal struggles became part of her public narrative. Kitty overcame an addiction to diet pills in 1982 and, following her husband's electoral defeat, entered treatment for alcoholism. Her openness helped reduce stigma around mental health and addiction. She even allowed CBS News to document her receiving electroshock therapy, which she credited with saving her life.

Kitty Dukakis’s commitment to public service didn’t end with campaign trails or First Lady duties. She became a tireless advocate for Holocaust remembrance, refugees, and the marginalized. She helped drive the establishment of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and served on the United States Holocaust Memorial Council. Her sense of Jewish responsibility extended beyond her own people. “Never again isn’t meant just for Jews,” she said in 1988. “It’s meant for all humankind.”

She took that belief further by advocating for Thai and Cambodian refugees, the homeless in America, and Soviet Jews under oppression. She once wrote, “As a Jew, I feel I have a real responsibility to help others who are suffering.”

Her voice added moral weight to causes that crossed borders and faiths, guided by a deeply personal understanding of both suffering and healing.

Kitty Dukakis is survived by her husband Michael, three children, and seven grandchildren. She leaves behind a legacy not only of firsts, but of fierce compassion, advocacy, and unshaken Jewish identity.

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