Dr. Ruth Westheimer, the sex therapist, media star and best-selling author, has passed away. She died on Friday at 96, in her home in New York City, surrounded by her family.
She was born in Frankfurt, Germany, in 1928, and originally named Karola Ruth Siegel. An only child, she was sent by her parents to Switzerland to escape Kristallnacht at age 10. She never saw her parents again, and believed they were murdered at Auschwitz.
At 16, she moved to British Mandatory Palestine, and trained as a sniper in the Haganah. She was severely wounded in a bombing and was only able to walk again due to exceptional surgical intervention.
Over the course of her career, Dr. Ruth amassed several awards for her prolific writing, educational efforts, and media experience. She strongly supported the LGBTQ community, drawing denunciations from some of the religious Christian community.
During her career, she amassed an audience of several million with newspaper columns, television and radio shows, multiple lecturing and educational engagements, appearances on numerous famed talk shows, and more than 40 books. Along with a private practice, she taught at multiple world class educational institutions. Her work inspired pop lyrics, a calendar series, and a board game.
She is survived by her children Joel and Miriam, and four grandchildren.