Ruth Posner, a Holocaust survivor, actress, and advocate for assisted dying, has died alongside her husband Michael at a clinic in Switzerland. Both were in their 90s.
The couple chose to end their lives at the Pegasos clinic near Basel last weekend, according to reports. Ruth, aged 96, and Michael, 97, had been married for nearly 75 years.
Originally from Poland, Ruth Posner survived the Holocaust as a child after escaping from the Radom Ghetto. Most of her family, including her parents and several relatives, were murdered by the Nazis. She survived by hiding with a Catholic family under a false identity and was later imprisoned as a Polish Catholic following the 1944 Warsaw Uprising. She eventually fled to the UK at age 16.
In a final email sent to friends and family earlier this week, the couple explained their decision to die together, describing it as mutual and free of external pressure. The message, first reported by The Times, read:
“We are sorry not to have mentioned it, but when you receive this email we will have shuffled off this mortal coil. The decision was mutual and without any outside pressure. We had lived a long life and together for almost 75 years. There came a point when failing senses—of sight and hearing—and lack of energy was not living but existing that no care would improve. We had an interesting and varied life, except for the sorrow of losing Jeremy, our son. We enjoyed our time together, tried not to regret the past, lived in the present, and not to expect too much from the future. Much love, Ruth & Mike.”
Ruth Posner built a celebrated career in the arts, becoming a member of the London Contemporary Dance Theatre and performing with the Royal Shakespeare Company. Michael Posner, a chemist, worked with UNICEF and traveled the world before the couple settled in Belsize Park, London.
Their close friend, playwright Sonja Linden, described Ruth as “the most vibrant, amazing woman” and Michael as “a remarkable, clever, intellectual man.” Speaking to the Press Association, she said Ruth had spoken increasingly over the past year of feeling that their lives had become mere existence, not truly living.
“She said, ‘We’ve had enough. We’re ready to go. We don’t want to just exist,’” Linden recalled.
Although neither of them was terminally ill, Ruth had long been a supporter of legalising assisted dying in the UK. Linden noted that if the law were different, Ruth might have chosen to say goodbye more publicly without needing to travel abroad.
The UK Parliament is currently considering changes to the law on assisted dying, which, under proposed reforms, would apply to terminally ill patients with less than six months to live.
Tributes have poured in following news of the couple’s death. Karen Pollock, Chief Executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust, praised Ruth’s tireless efforts to educate younger generations.
“Although then in her 80s, she made it her mission to speak to as many young people as possible about her experiences during the Holocaust. She hoped that the leaders of tomorrow would learn the lessons of the past. Ruth was one of a kind. Full of charisma and warmth, she left an impression on everyone she met. We will miss her.”
The Campaign Against Antisemitism also paid tribute, describing Ruth as a powerful voice in the fight against antisemitism who never hesitated to educate future generations.