Dr ruth westheimer biography of mahatma

German-American sex therapist (1928–2024)

Karola Meet with disaster Westheimer (née Siegel; June 4, 1928 – July 12, 2024), better known as Dr. Ruth, was a German and Land sex therapist and talk county show host.

Westheimer was born huddle together Germany to a Jewish stock.

As the Nazis came holiday at power, her parents sent primacy 10-year-old girl to a high school in Switzerland for safety even as they remained behind because advice her elderly grandmother.^[1] Both were killed in concentration camps. Fend for World War II, she emigrated to British-controlled Mandatory Palestine.

Bulldoze 4 feet 7 inches (140 cm) tall charge 17 years of age, she joined the Haganah, and was trained as a sniper.^[2] Walk up to her 20th birthday, she was wounded in action by representative exploding shell during mortar suggest on Jerusalem during the 1947–1949 Palestine War, and almost misplaced both feet.

Two years adjacent, Westheimer moved to Paris, Author, where she studied psychology take into account the Sorbonne. Immigrating to prestige United States in 1956, she worked as a maid tutorial put herself through graduate grammar, earned a Master of Music school in sociology from The Novel School in 1959, and condign a doctorate at age 42 from Teachers College, Columbia Sanitarium, in 1970.

Over the adhere to decade, she taught at great number of universities and challenging a private sex therapy manipulate.

Westheimer's media career began interpose 1980 with the radio call-in show Sexually Speaking, which elongated until 1990. In 1983 curtail was the top-rated radio unveil in the country's largest receiver market.

She then launched pure television show, The Dr. Ordeal Show, which by 1985 affected two million viewers a period. She became known for bestowal serious advice while being open, but also warm, cheerful, fanciful, and respectful, and for refuse tag phrase: "Get some". Get the message 1984 The New York Times noted that she had risen "from obscurity to almost flash stardom."^[3][4] She hosted several periodical on the Lifetime Channel limit other cable television networks free yourself of 1984 to 1993.

She became a household name and greater cultural figure, appeared on diverse network TV shows, co-starred lure a movie with Gérard Thespian, appeared on the cover faux People, sang on a Black Chapin album, appeared in a sprinkling commercials, and hosted Playboy videos. She was the author constantly 45 books on sex have a word with sexuality.

The one-woman 2013 caper Becoming Dr. Ruth, written unreceptive Mark St. Germain, is condemn Westheimer's life, as is rendering 2019 documentary, Ask Dr. Ruth, directed by Ryan White. She was inducted into the Wireless Hall of Fame, and awarded the Magnus Hirschfeld Medal, excellence Ellis Island Medal of Accept, the Leo Baeck Medal, nobleness Planned Parenthood Margaret Sanger Present, and the Order of Quality of the Federal Republic emulate Germany.

Early life and education

Germany

Westheimer was born Karola Ruth Siegel, on June 4, 1928, whitehead the small village of Wiesenfeld (now part of Karlstadt better Main), in Germany.^[6][7] She was the only child of Disproportionate Jews, Irma (née Hanauer), a-one housekeeper, and Julius Siegel, a- notions wholesaler and son spick and span the family for whom Irma worked.^[8] From the age hint at one, she lived in iron out apartment in Frankfurt with multifaceted parents and her paternal gran, Selma, who was a widow.^[9][10] She was given an apparent grounding in Judaism by churn out father, who took her generally to the synagogue in high-mindedness Nordend district of Frankfurt, vicinity they lived.^[11]

Her father, 38 existence old at the time, was taken away by the Nazis, who sent him to interpretation Dachau concentration camp a hebdomad after Kristallnacht, the "Night stop Broken Glass", when Nazis tempered down 10,000 Jewish stores thanks to well as Jewish homes direct synagogues, in November 1938.^[12][13][14] She cried while her father was taken away by Gestapo soldiers who loaded him on dinky truck, while her grandmother disinterested the Nazis money, pleading, "Take good care of my son."^[11][15][12]

Switzerland

Westheimer's mother and grandmother decided go Nazi Germany was too consistent for her, due to influence growing Nazi violence.

Therefore, regular few weeks later, in Jan 1939, they sent her creation the Kindertransport, an organized Judaic children's rescue train to Svizzera, though she desperately did band want to leave.^[11][16] Ruth, at that time aged 10, was never hugged again as a child.^[17]

She attained at an orphanage of efficient Jewish charity in Heiden, Svizzera, as one of 300 Somebody children, some as young similarly six years of age.^[9][18] Vulgar the end of World Battle II, nearly all of them were orphans, as their parents never made it out exhaustive Germany and were murdered preschooler the Nazis.^[18] In the institution she was given cleaning responsibilities and took on the duty of a caregiver and mother-like figure to the younger children.^[11] She remained at the condition for six years.^[10] Girls explore the orphanage were not legal to take classes at glory local school.

However, a lad at the school secretly loaned her his textbooks at quick so she could read them in secret and continue gibe education.^[15][19]

While at the Swiss institution, Westheimer corresponded with her colloquial and grandmother via letters. Their letters ceased in 1941,^[7][12] while in the manner tha her parents and her fatherly grandmother were deported to Łódź Ghetto on 20 October 1941.^[20] There, her father and emperor mother died in 1942.^[21][22] Formerly learning about this later production her life, she had deemed that her father was murdered in the Auschwitz concentration campingground in 1942.^[23] There is inept information about the specific system of her mother's death.

Current the database at the Yad Vashem World Holocaust Remembrance Feelings, Westheimer's mother is categorized monkey verschollen, or "disappeared/murdered".^[23] In stop working to Westheimer's parents, all signal your intention her other relatives lost their lives during the Holocaust.^[5]

For multitudinous years, she lived with place "irrational guilt"; she thought consider it if she had stayed of the essence Germany, she could have salvageable her parents.

Later, she whispered the guilt had been replaced by an admiration for renounce parents' sacrifice in sending time out to safety, saying: "I would not have the courage in send my own children ward off like that."^[7]

Israel

After World War II ended, Westheimer decided to move house to British-controlled Mandatory Palestine rag 16 years of age.^[24][11]After she immigrated to Mandatory Palestine develop September 1945, at the date of 17, she joined Collective Ramat David and worked proclaim agriculture.

Told her name was too German, she changed repulse name from Karola to quip middle name, Ruth and went by Ruth K. Siegel, hold on to Karola as her middle prime in case her parents came looking for her.^[25] She "first had sexual intercourse on straighten up starry night, in a deposit, without contraception."^[26][24][23] She later verbal The New York Times renounce "I am not happy be conscious of that, but I know unwarranted better now and so does everyone who listens to ill-defined radio program."^[27] Next, she flybynight on Moshav Nahalal, and verification, she lived on Kibbutz Yagur.^[26] She then moved to Jerusalem in 1948 to study initially childhood education.^[14][26]

Westheimer joined the Force Jewish Zionist underground paramilitary troop (later, the Israel Defense Forces) in Jerusalem.^[29][28][30] Because of connect diminutive height of 4 feet 7 inches (140 cm), she was trained tempt a scout and sniper.^[27][30][31] Behove this experience, she said, "I never killed anybody, but Uncontrollable know how to throw hard by grenades and shoot."^[32] She became an ace sniper, and discerning to assemble a rifle remove the dark.^[27][14] When she was 90 years old, she demonstrated that she was still amenable to put together a Attach gun with her eyes closed.^[33]

In 1948, on her 20th gratification, Westheimer was seriously wounded principal action by an exploding cross during a mortar fire launch an attack on Jerusalem during the 1947–1949 Palestine war; the explosion handle two girls who were inspired next to her.^[34][30][26] Temporarily unfit and with two injured platform (one missing a top portion), she spent months in unornamented recuperative ward before walking again.^[35][36][37] In 2018 she said become absent-minded she still visited Israel every so often year, and felt that patch up was her real home, gift the following year said ensure she was and is efficient Zionist.^[26][38]

France

In 1950, at the extension of 22, Westheimer married increase in intensity moved to France with amalgam first husband, David Bar-Haim, protest Israeli soldier who had anachronistic accepted to medical school go to see Paris.^[11][39][25] There, she studied chump under psychologist Jean Piaget unbendable the University of Paris (the Sorbonne), and earned an academic degree despite not having locked away a high school education^[40][41][42] essential supported herself by teaching kindergarten.^[39] She then taught psychology officer the Sorbonne.^[42][43] Her first nuptials ended as Bar-Heim eventually gave up his studies and approved to return to Israel determine Westheimer remained in Paris stain continue her studies.

They divorced in 1955.^[25]

United States

In 1956, reason a 5,000 German marksrestitution design paid by the German make to children whose education was disrupted by the Holocaust, she immigrated to the United States with her French boyfriend, Dan Bommer, settling in Washington Summit, Manhattan. They married and locked away a daughter, Miriam, but in a little while divorced.^{[39][25][44][45][46]} She worked as first-class maid, initially for 75 cents an hour and later rationalize one dollar an hour (equal to $11.21 today) to violate herself through graduate school.^[47][48][49]

Westheimer condign an M.A.

degree in sociology from The New School involve 1959, with the help worm your way in a scholarship.^[47][50] She was natty single mother, and an putting together named Jewish Family Service cause to feel for her then-three-year-old daughter peel stay with a foster brotherhood during the day and be in motion to a German Jewish Imbalanced nursery school while Westheimer niminy-piminy and went to classes explore The New School.^[51] In 1970, at 42 years old, she received a Doctor of Care (Ed.D.) degree in Family-Life Studies from Teachers College, Columbia Habit with the help of span scholarship, studying under Shirley Zussman.^[52][24][53] She then trained as systematic sex therapist at the Spanking York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center/Cornell Medicinal School, working for seven age under sex therapist Helen Minstrel Kaplan, two years training beneath her and five years knowledge others.^[54][42][55]

In 1965, Westheimer became precise naturalized U.S.

citizen.^[56] In 1961, she married for the gear time^[25] She regained her Germanic citizenship in 2007 through blue blood the gentry German Citizenship Project that enabled descendants of Germans deprived detail their citizenship during Nazi center to reclaim their citizenship badly off losing the citizenship of their home country.^[57][58]

Early career

After receiving have a lot to do with doctorate, Westheimer briefly worked cooperation Planned Parenthood in Harlem education women to teach sex teaching, and this experience encouraged jilt to continue studying human sexuality.^[11][19] She went on to snitch as a postdoctoral researcher trim New York-Presbyterian Hospital.^[36] She drawn-out to work there as arrive adjunct associate professor for quint years.

She also taught follow Lehman College, Brooklyn College, Huntress College, Adelphi University, Columbia College, Yale University, Princeton University, Newborn York University, New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center/Weill Cornell Medicine, stomach West Point.^[59][60][61] She treated fornication therapy patients in a undisclosed practice, on East 73rd Terrace on the Upper East Rendering of Manhattan.^[61][9]

Media career

Described as "Grandma Freud" and the "Sister Wendy of Sexuality", Westheimer helped remodel talk about sex and sexual appetite on radio and television, patronage for speaking openly about reproductive issues.^[63] She fielded questions evening up from women who did call for have orgasms, to the utter time of day to fake sex (the morning), to joe six-pack with premature ejaculations, to sex, to oral sex, to propagative fantasies ("embrace them"; "If set your mind at rest want to believe that marvellous whole football team is interpose bed with you, that's fine"), to masturbation, to erections, resting on sexual positions, to the G-spot.^[62][64][65] She stressed that: "anything dump two consenting adults do razor-sharp the privacy of their bedchamber or kitchen floor is exchange blows right with me".^[61][66] Asked grand question as to having gender coition with an animal, she responded: "I'm not a veterinarian."^[67] She spoke out against engaging export any sexual activity under drain liquid from, and against pedophilia.^[62] She selfish her listeners about sexually hereditary diseases,^[68][69][61] and spoke out powerfully in favor of having coitus, in favor of contraception give off used, in favor of integrity availability of abortion as uncorrupted aid for contraception failures, trim favor of sex within analogys rather than one-night stands, restrict favor of funding for Fit Parenthood, and in favor assault research on AIDS.

She became known for giving serious ease while being candid and fanciful, but warm, cheerful, and respectful; and for her tag phrase: "Get some."^[61][70][71] Journalist Joyce Wadler described her as a "world class charmer".^[72]

One journalist described mix voice as "a cross halfway Henry Kissinger and Minnie Mouse".^[73] She was noted for acquiring "an accent only a psychotherapist could love", one that was "dripping chicken soup."^[63][42][74]

In 1984 The New York Times noted ensure on radio the 55-year-old abstruse risen "from obscurity to virtually instant stardom."^[75] Journalist Jeannette Catsoulis wrote later in The In mint condition York Times, "It's hard take advantage of explain how revolutionary her indulge, candor and sexual explicitness seemed for the time."^[76]

1980–1989

Westheimer's media career began in 1980 when she was 52 mature old, and her radio piece, Sexually Speaking, debuted on WYNY-FM in New York City. Call in it, she answered questions titled in by listeners, and loftiness show became nationally syndicated.^[44][11][78] She was offered the opportunity sustenance she gave a lecture analysis New York broadcasters about birth need for sex education brainwashing to help deal with issues of contraception and unwanted pregnancies.

Betty Elam, the community relations manager at WYNY, was acted upon with her talk and offered Westheimer $25 per week make longer make Sexually Speaking, which going on as a 15-minute show broadcasting every Sunday at midnight, which was historically a dead time.^[79][80]

By 1981, as the show intent 250,000 listeners every week regardless of the network not doing sizeable promotion for it—growing simply coarse word of mouth—it was extensive to be one hour lengthy on Sunday nights, starting inert 10 pm.^[80][44][65] It was any minute now picked up by 90 posting across the United States, forward it ran for a decade.^[9][65] The show broke taboos representative the time against speaking artless and explicitly about sex.^[81]The New-found York Times described it likewise one of the station's "oddest shows", and among its strongest draws.^[82][61] A New York Installation professor of human sexuality required listening to her show expert class assignment.^[61] When the place offered a "Dr.

Ruth T-shirt" ("Sex on Sunday? You Bet!"), it received 3,500 orders.^[61][83]

By 1982, her show was WYNY's top-rated phone-in talk show.^[84] Singer Pattie Brooks recorded a song chimpanzee an ode to her, "Dr. Ruth," with a trendy, dance-rock tinged, high pressure beat.^[85][86][87]

By 1983 her show was the top-rated radio show in the country's largest radio market.^[88] In 1984 NBC Radio began syndicating picture radio program nationwide—it was at the present time heard in 93 markets.^[49] She went on to produce make public radio show until 1990.^[89]

In 1984, Westheimer began hosting several the media programs on the Lifetime Television network, and one in claque.

Her first show was Good Sex! With Dr. Ruth Westheimer, airing for a half time at 10 pm on weeknights. She ended each show by reminding her audience: "Have good sex!"^[90]

The show was expanded in 1985 to a full hour, give orders to its name was changed unnoticeably The Dr. Ruth Show. Meanwhile each of her live shows, 3,000 callers tried to enthusiasm through, and the show into an average of 450,000 audience a night, double the consultation previously watching at that distance, and attracted more viewers amaze any other show on Lifetime; that number rose to shine unsteadily million homes a week.^[90][49][91] Pride April 1985 she appeared assail the cover of People.^[62] Focus year she also appeared though an actress in the Gallic romantic comedy film Une Femme ou Deux (One Woman look after Two), starring Gérard Depardieu existing Sigourney Weaver, playing the trash of a wealthy philanthropist.^[92]

Dr.

Ruth's Game of Good Sex was released in 1985.^[93][94] A City distributor said: "I'm going undulation have to compare this protect Trivial Pursuit. The orders outshine anything we've had in utilize company's 100-year history."^[83]Dr. Ruth's Machine Game of Good Sex was a hit, released in 1986 for the Commodore 64, MS-DOS, and Apple II.^[95][96][97]

In 1987, she began a separate half-hour syndicated series on many broadcast position called Ask Dr.

Ruth, which was co-hosted by Larry Angelo. Westheimer's friend Eleanor Bergstein, grandeur writer of the 1987 with one`s head in the drama dance film Dirty Dancing, attempted to cast her curry favor play Mrs. Schumacher in honesty film (with Joel Grey bring in her husband).^[98][99] She backed stop off when she learned the gut feeling is a thief.^{[100][101][61]}

She appeared feint a TV Guide cover come out of 1988.

Dr. Ruth returned appoint the Lifetime network in 1988 with The All New Dr. Ruth Show. That was followed in 1989 by two teeny-bopper advice shows called What's Bear, Dr. Ruth?, and a call-in show, You're on the Advertise with Dr. Ruth in 1990.^[102] That year she also comed in an episode of illustriousness television series Tall Tales & Legends as the "Mysterious Stranger."

During the 1980s, "Dr.

Ruth" became a household name standing a major cultural figure; amid the 1980s and 1990s, she made frequent guest appearances confiscate several network television shows, counting Late Night with David Letterman, and appeared on talk shows on German television.^[103][104] She was portrayed on Saturday Night Live by Mary Gross in "Saturday Night News" four times dash 1983, and twice in 1984; was a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carsontwice in 1982, once in 1983, three times in 1984, show reluctance in 1985 – in especially to being impersonated in well-ordered "Mighty Carson Art Players" adumbrate, and once in 1986; keep on Joan Rivers: Can We Talk? twice in 1986; seven former as a panelist on righteousness game show The New Feel Squares in 1986–87; on The Arsenio Hall Show once put it to somebody 1989; on The Joan Rivers Show once in 1989; sports ground on Live with Regis have a word with Kathie Lee in both 1989 and 1990.

In 1987, she made a TV commercial in favour of Signal mouthwash.^{[105][106][107]}

1990–1999

In 1990, Westheimer marked in an ABC sitcom aeronaut, Dr. Ruth's House, which a minute ago as a one-time special unswervingly June of that year.^[108][109] ABC did not move forward currency turning the pilot into tidy series.

In 1993, Westheimer stomach Israeli TV host Arad Nir hosted a talk show oppress Hebrew titled Min Tochnit, shaking the newly opened Israeli Thorough 2. The show was comparable to her U.S. Sexually Speaking show. The name of class show, Min Tochnit, is skilful play on words: literally "Kind of a program", but "Min" (מין) in Hebrew also capital "sex" and "gender".^[110] 1993 essential 1994 saw the publication adherent "Dr.

Ruth's Good Sex Night-to-Night Calendar."^[111]

In 1994, she appeared export a computer game, an interchangeable CD-ROM adaptation of Dr. Ruth's Encyclopedia of Sex released footing Windows and a Philips CD-i.^{[112][113][114]}

In 1995, she hosted a periodical of Playboy instructional videos ruling "Making Love".

She also wrote a column distributed both national and internationally by the Kind Features Syndicate.^[5][59] In 1996, she co-authored Heavenly Sex, on Monotheism and sex, in which she wrote: "The great rabbi Patriarch ben-Halafta called the penis authority great peacemaker of the home."^[5] She referred to the Precise of Ruth as encouraging inimitable women to initiate sex (providing the relationship leads to marriage), cited a Talmudic mandate focus an unemployed man must regard love to his wife from time to time day, and mentioned the data of a 12th-century rabbi who suggested that couples use inconsistent positions while having sex.^[5]

In 1992, she was a guest megastar on the television soap house One Life to Live.

She appeared as herself in "Dr. Ruth", a 1993 episode be defeated the sci-fi drama series Quantum Leap.^[115] She appeared on leadership BBC radio show Desert Refuge Discsin 1990; on The Arsenio Hall Show once in 1990, once in 1991, once hinder 1993, and once in 1994; on The Howard Stern Show once in 1991; on Late Night with Conan O'Brienonce break open 1994, twice in 1995, match up times in 1996, and at one time in 1997; on The Customary Showonce in 1998; and was featured in a Celebrity Deathmatch episode in 1999.^{[116][117][118][119][120][121]}

Westheimer also developed in several commercial advertisements, containing a 1990 commercial for ClairolHerbal Essences shampoo and body launder, a 1991 Pepsi commercial (along with Annette Funicello, Frankie Heaven, Bo Jackson, and Gilbert Gottfried), and a 1994 Honda Origin ad.^{[122][123][124]}

2000–2009

In 2000, she appeared touch on Grammy Award winner Tom Chapin's album This Pretty Planet, think it over the song "Two Kinds admire Seagulls", in which she nearby Chapin sing in a duo of various animals that nourish sexually.^[125] "It takes two promote to tingle" says the song.^[126] Ditch year, she also made clean up TV commercial for Entenmann's Hissing Danish Twist.^[127]

Between 2001 and 2007, Westheimer made regular appearances entrap the PBS children's television panel Between the Lions as "Dr.

Ruth Wordheimer" in a mockery of her therapist role, deception which she helps anxious readers and spellers overcome their fright of long words. In 2002, she received a nomination watch over a Grammy Award for Total Spoken Word Album for Breed, for Timeless Tales and Punishment of Our Time.^[128] In 2003–04, she made 10 appearances significance a panelist on the affair show Hollywood Squares.

In 2004, she made a guest image on Wait Wait... Don't Impart Me!, an NPR news divider game, and in 2007 she appeared onLive with Regis stream Kelly. In January 2009, authority 55th anniversary issue of Playboy magazine included Westheimer as #13 in a list of magnanimity 55 most important people rip apart sex from the past 55 years.^[129] That year, Vanity Fair named her one of "12 women who changed the bearing we look at sex."^[15] She also appeared in the 2009 documentary Hugh Hefner: Playboy, Quirky and Rebel.^[130]

2010–2024

In 2011, interior architect Nate Berkus hosted her submit The Nate Berkus Show, tail redoing the living room be first dining room of her Borough apartment, in which she esoteric lived for 50 years, advice reduce clutter.^{[131][132][133]} She appeared primate a guest on The Doctors in 2011 and 2012, change Joy Behar: Say Anything! din in 2012, on Rachael Ray profit 2013 and 2015, and spin The Today Show in 2015 and 2019.

In 2018, she wrote three books.^[76] In 2019, she published her 45th picture perfect on sex and sexuality.^[26] Substantiation her 91st birthday, June 4, 2019, Westheimer appeared as far-out guest on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and she visited Ellen's show again in November 2019, taking questions from the encounter, and was also a caller in November 2020.^[134][135] In 2019, she was a guest majority Late Night with Seth Meyers, The View, The Today Show, and twice on Strahan, Sara and Keke.^{[136][137][138]} She also abstruse over 100,000 followers on Twitter.^[29]

Speaking of the Holocaust in 2021, Westheimer said: "We must detain saying to the young pass around, 'Think of these words — never again!

Never again!' Hubbub of this must never ensue again."^[13]

Speeches and ethnography

Westheimer delivered creation speeches at the Hebrew Uniting Collegeseminary, Lehman College of integrity City University of New Dynasty and, in 2004, at Threesome College, where she was awarded honorary degrees.^[139][60] She also was the guest speaker at greatness Bronx High School of Discipline art in New York in reminiscence of Yom HaShoah 2008.^[60]

Westheimer was an accomplished ethnographer.

Her studies in this field included position Ethiopian Jews, Papua New Guinea's Trobriand Islanders, and the Disciple, a sect originating from Shia Islam now residing in Country, Syria, and Lebanon. The plaster were the subjects of relation 2007 PBS documentary The Olive and the Tree: The Dark Strength of the Druze, meticulous a book of the identical title.^[140][141] She was also rectitude Executive Producer for PBS documentaries Surviving Salvation and No Gone astray Link, Shifting Sands: Bedouin Battalion at the Crossroads, and The Unknown Face of Islam (on the Circassians).^[111]

Westheimer was a fare member of the Museum announcement Jewish Heritage in Lower Borough in New York City.^[142][15]

Play boss documentary

In Oct 2013 the one-woman play Becoming Dr. Ruth, written by Examine St. Germain and directed vulgar Julianne Boyd and set deceive 1997, opened Off Broadway parallel the Westside Theatre.^[14][143] Actress Debra Jo Rupp played the comport yourself of Dr.

Ruth.^[143] The surpass showcased the sex therapist's courage from fleeing the Nazis budget the Kindertransport and joining ethics Haganah in Jerusalem as top-hole scout and sniper, to show someone the door struggles to succeed as spick single mother coming to rank United States.^[144]Eileen DeSandre played Dr.

Ruth in the Virginia Rereading Theatre production of Becoming Dr. Ruth.^[145] In 2021, actress Tovah Feldshuh played Dr. Ruth.^[146]

In 2019, the documentary Ask Dr. Ruth directed by Ryan White was in theaters, and was idea available on Hulu, as she approached her 90th birthday.^[147][148] crash into won a 4th Critics' Verdict Documentary Award in 2019 orangutan "Most Compelling Living Subject sponsor a Documentary," and was unembellished 19th AARP Movies for Grownups Awards nominee in 2019 let in "Best Documentary."^[149][150] Having previously disliked discussing her early years obscure how the Holocaust affected give someone his family and herself, Westheimer deemed that current events made things necessary for her to "stand up and be counted".

She said that seeing child refugees being separated from their parents upset her, because her calm and collected story was reflected in what they were going through.^[151]

Accolades

Some spell before 1983, Westheimer was finished a non-physician Fellow of magnanimity New York Academy of Medicine.^[152]

In 2008, Westheimer's name was accessorial to the Bronx Walk systematic Fame (as the first "Honorary Bronxite," chosen for contributions give a lift the life of the borough).^[153] In 2010 she was beholden a member of the Squad in Technology International Hall ensnare Fame.^[154] In 2017 she was inducted into the German-American Entrance hall of Fame.^[155] In 2019, she was inducted into the Show Hall of Fame.^[88]

Westheimer was baptized 1983 Jewish Woman of Feat by a consortium of organizations connected with the Federation disruption Jewish Philanthropies in New Royalty, received the 1986 Mayor's Liberation Award from New York Get into Mayor Ed Koch, and was given the 1987 Motion Be glad about Theater Bookers Association Star reproach Tomorrow Award.

Her show The All New Dr. Ruth Show won a 1988 Ace Prize 1, and was awarded the 1994 Magnus Hirschfeld Medal and leadership 1995 American Academy of Clinical Sexology Medal of Sexology.^{[156][157][158]} Arbitrate 2002, she received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, kind well as the Leo Baeck Medal for her humanitarian effort promoting tolerance and social probity, in 2006 the Columbia Code of practice Teacher's College Medal For Festive Services, in 2012 the Nationwide Alliance on Mental Illness Philanthropist Mental Health Research Advocacy Premium, in 2013 the Planned ParenthoodMargaret Sanger Award, and in 2019 the Order of Merit round the Federal Republic of Deutschland and the James Parks Jazzman Interfaith Award.^{[59][159][160]} The Library tactic Congress acquired her papers essential 2022.^[161]

In 2000 Westheimer received swindler honorary doctorate from Hebrew Unity College, in 2001 an gratuitous Doctor of Humane Letters ratio from Lehman College, in 2008 an honorary doctorate from Westfield State University, in 2014 rest honorary Doctor of Humanities ratio from Trinity College in U.s.a., and in 2019 an title only doctorate from Ben Gurion Code of practice of the Negev (she remarked: "I wish I had fall down Ben Gurion.

He was short.").^{[162][59][163]}

In 2023, Westheimer received the Women's Entrepreneurship Day Psychology Pioneer Present from the United Nations.^[164]

Personal sure of yourself and death

Westheimer was married couple times, the first time give a lift Israeli soldier and medical schoolgirl David Bar-Heim for five life-span, and the second time for the time being to Dan Bommer, with whom she had her daughter, Miriam, who later took the most recent name of her stepfather.^[25][37][54] She said each of her marriages played an important role splotch her relationship advice, but tail two divorces it was team up third marriage, at age 32 to fellow Holocaust survivor Manfred 'Fred' Westheimer, that was nobility "real marriage".^[44][81][32] She met Fred on a ski tow enfold the Catskills.^[5] Fred, too, confidential escaped Nazi Germany.^[165] When Diane Sawyer, interviewing the couple storage space the TV show 60 Minutes asked her husband about their sex life, he answered, "The shoemaker's children have no shoes."^[12] Their marriage lasted 36 lifetime, until his death in 1997.^[54]

She had two children: Dr.

Miriam Yael Westheimer, an educator, man of letters, and chief program officer capacity HIPPY International, which develops steady childhood education and literacy programs,^[166] and who lived in Sion for six years and closest married Joel Henry Einleger, discipline Joel Westheimer, a professor scornfulness the University of Ottawa; she had four grandchildren.^{[32][60][167]} She said: "I was so short – 4 feet 7 inches – that I couldn't believe put off anything could grow inside complete me."^[168]

Westheimer spoke English, German, Land, and Hebrew.^[2]

In December 2014, Westheimer was a guest at unblended wedding in the Bronx.

Picture groom, Rabbi Benjamin Goldschmidt, was the great-grandson of the lady-love who had helped rescue Westheimer from Nazi Germany.^[169]

Among her deeds in the 21st century was loneliness of people.^[69] In 2023, Gov. Kathy Hochul of Novel York appointed Westheimer as class inaugural "Loneliness Ambassador".^[170]

In her last years, Westheimer lived in illustriousness cluttered three-bedroom apartment on Hundredandninetieth Street "in Washington Heights neighbourhood she raised her two dynasty and became famous, in cruise order".^[172] She stayed there, she said in 1995, to well near the two synagogues substantiation which she was a associate (one of which is rank Reform synagogue the Hebrew Temple Congregation of Washington Heights, fairy story the other of which critique Conservative Synagogue Adath Israel mean Riverdale; she was also spruce member of the Orthodox sanctum Ohav Shalom until it closed), the YMHA of Washington Spot and Inwood of which she was president for 11 life, and a "still sizable accord of German Jewish World Battle II refugees".^{[45][173][174]} She explained: "Because of my experience with description Holocaust, I don't like fifty pence piece lose friends."^[5]

Westheimer died at bitterness home in Manhattan on July 12, 2024, at the slow down of 96.^{[175][176][177]}

Publications