In Memory of Dr. Ruth Westheimer z”l
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The loss of Dr. Ruth K. Westheimer deeply saddens the Claims Conference. She passed away at her home in Manhattan on July 12 at the age of 96. Perhaps best known for her work as a world-renowned psychosexual therapist, Dr. Ruth lived a multifaceted, inspirational life through her experiences on the Kindertransport and as a Haganah sniper.
Behind her amusing and candid demeanor about sex and sexuality was a story of resilience and strength. Born Karola Ruth Siegel on June 4, 1928, in Frankfurt, Germany, Ruth was raised by Orthodox parents, Irma Hanauer and Julius Siegel. She often described her happy and wonderful early socialization and close relationship with her father. Ruth shared her story and explained how the Nazis took her father to Dachau shortly after Kristallnacht. In January 1939, at ten years old, Ruth waved goodbye to her mother and grandmother and left Germany on a train with 100 other children to a children’s home in Heiden, Switzerland. While her father eventually returned home to Frankfurt, his letters to her ceased in 1941. Later in life, she discovered that her father was murdered in Auschwitz, and her mother was marked as having “disappeared.” Having never endured living in a concentration camp, Ruth referred to herself as an orphan of the Holocaust, not as a Holocaust survivor.
Six years later, now a stateless orphan, Ruth was determined to help create a country for Jews and decided to go to Palestine. Here, she changed her name from Karola to Ruth, a less German-sounding name. While in Jerusalem, Ruth joined the Haganah and was trained to be a sniper. However, she ultimately left the country in 1951 after falling in love with a good-looking Israeli who wanted to study in Paris, as she describes it. In 1956, Ruth found herself in New York, where she eventually made a career as an author, professor and famous sex therapist, appearing on radio and talk shows. This past year, Ruth became New York’s Loneliness Ambassador, drawing on her childhood experiences and pandemic isolation.
President of the Claims Conference, Gideon Taylor, first got to know Dr. Ruth not long after he started working as a young Jewish professional at the Joint Distribution Committee. Her intellectual curiosity had led her to learn about Ethiopian Jews (which research later became a film) and that was when he first got to know this international icon. While she was for a number of years among the most recognizable people in the world, she was at the same time a down-to-earth, genuine, friendly “mensch”. Her smile of greeting at the many Jewish activities in which she participated would light up a room and her personality brightened our world.
Ruth participated in several events and initiatives organized by the Claims Conference. In 2018, Ruth attended a powerful program, Eyewitness: Documenting the Holocaust on Film, held in partnership with the Paley Center for Media Film to discuss the impact of film in furthering Shoah education and awareness. In 2021, she was featured in an International Women’s Day tribute to female Holocaust survivors we worked with that year. While we honor Holocaust survivors every day, we mark International Women’s Day by honoring some of the bravest women.
In 2022, Ruth joined us in celebrating our 6th International Holocaust Survivors Night. While celebrating survivors, that year’s global event focused on the theme of hope in the face of rising antisemitism. Dr. Ruth joined the virtual event to share a message to the Claims Conference. In her message, she congratulated the Claims Conference for its wonderful work and referred to us as a shiny, bright light.
The Claims Conference wants to take this opportunity to express our gratitude to Dr. Ruth for her resilience and her contributions to the world. From breaking down taboos around intimacy to educating and advocating for Holocaust survivors, she has been an inspiration. As the Loneliness Ambassador, she has supported our mission of helping Holocaust survivors, who tend to have limited social interactions, cope with loneliness. We honor Ruth for being a beacon of hope, a shining light and for her work in promoting love within the Jewish and human experience. We also mourn the loss of all survivors who are leaving us at about 8% per year. Dr. Ruth’s passing is a symbol of what is happening across our survivor community worldwide.
May her memory be a blessing.
