Since the early 1980's the most prominent figure of modern sexual psychology has improbably been a short, sweet and often grandmotherly woman named Karola Ruth Westheimer. Most of us know her better as Dr. Ruth. Her frank, thoughtful approach to human sexual relationships now comes with the label "Sex-Positive Culture" and any modern psychologist worth his or her salt is familiar with it. What a lot of people don't know is that the gentle old lady who gives good-natured sex advice is also a dedicated Zionist and a war hero.
Karola Ruth Siegel was born in Frankfurt, Germany in 1928. She grew up in an orthodox Jewish family, but was tragically separated from them at the age of 11 during the rise of the Nazi party in Europe. She spent the remaining days of her childhood in a Swiss orphanage for displaced Jewish children while her parents both died at Auschwitz. Upon confirming the loss of her family, Ruth emigrated to the British Mandate of Palestine where she soon joined the Haganah army and trained as sharpshooter.
in 1948 at the age of 20, Ruth fought in the Israeli War of Independence. She suffered a severe leg injury from an enemy shell attack and spent several months recovering and learning to walk again. Two years after the war, she met her first husband, a soldier and kibbutz worker named David. After a few years of globetrotting, Ruth came to live in New York City, though her marriage to David had since ended.
Through the 1950's and 60's, Ruth continued her education and eventually attained several degrees relating to psychology, sociology and teaching. She met Manfred Westheimer, her husband of 30 years until his death in 1997, during this period. It was through one of several small jobs, this one at a Planned Parenthood branch, that Ruth came to appreciate modern advances in sex-related psychological practices. Specifically, she worked with the pioneering psychologist Dr. Helen Singer Kaplan and soon began conducting speaking engagements of her own. This led to a small radio program at NBC that eventually turned into the wildly popular Sexually Speaking with Dr. Ruth.
In addition to her radio show, Dr. Westheimer maintains a private therapy practice in New York and is an active member of two synagogues. She has two children, Miriam from her second marriage and Joel from Manfred Westheimer. Dr. Ruth has been active on the World Wide Web since 1996. Her website is regularly updated with articles and quick videos featuring a still very spry 81-year-old Ruth. She maintains several posts at highly respected universities. Aside from her work as a therapist and psychology educator, she has been behind a number of films and other projects on the subject of humanitarian crises and the preservation of Jewish culture.
Dr. Ruth's approachable demeanor and humane counseling style have helped her popularize a climate of progressive thinking that promotes communication, understanding and equality. The subject of Dr. Ruth's platform may be sex, but the values surrounding it are universal.