World-renowned sexologist Dr. Ruth Westheimer passed away on Friday at her home in Manhattan, New York, at the age of 96.
An American Jew who survived the Holocaust as a child, Westheimer, known to millions as sex guru Dr. Ruth, became one of the most influential figures in sex education and sexology through her television and radio shows.
Born in Germany in June 1928, Westheimer spent World War II in Switzerland. Her parents perished in the Holocaust. She later moved to Israel, living there for several years. In 1950, she went to study in France and subsequently emigrated to the United States, where she earned a doctorate in education.
Westheimer recounted that she first learned about sex at age 10 when she took her parents' marriage manual from a locked cabinet. What she saw in those pages sparked a career that included international fame, books, instructional videos, lectures, teaching roles, a radio show, countless television appearances, a syndicated column and even a board game called Good Sex.
Westheimer became a popular guest on TV talk shows, which eventually led to her receiving her own show. Her sex advice segment was first broadcast in 1981. Listeners called in for her advice, and as they struggled to pronounce her full name, she became known as Dr. Ruth.
Since those early radio segments, Dr. Ruth has become one of America's most famous sex therapists, with her own radio shows, successful TV programs, honorary doctorates from three universities and over 30 books. She previously hosted a show on Israel's Channel 2 and, in the 1990s, had a personal column in the Israeli lifestyle magazine La'Isha where she answered readers' sex questions.
In addition to her autobiography, Westheimer wrote nearly 40 books, including Sex for Dummies, Dr. Ruth's Sex After 50, Heavenly Sex: Sexuality in the Jewish Tradition, Dr. Ruth's Encyclopedia of Sex and Dr. Ruth's Top Ten Secrets for Great Sex.
In a 2016 Hebrew-language interview in the Ynet studio, Westheimer did not hesitate to criticize the younger generation for looking at screens instead of making eye contact. Even then, at age 88, she continued to discuss sex.
Dr. Ruth Westheimer in the Ynet studio in 2016
(Video: Ynet)
"Big problems follow us into the bedroom. Not just in Israel, but worldwide," she explained regarding the decline in passion many couples experience. "The secret is to leave the problems outside the door."
During a visit to Israel a few years ago, she lectured at a nursing home. When asked about her sex life with her husband, she replied, "I never let my husband hear me talk about our sex life. Once, Diane Sawyer interviewed me for TV, came to my New York apartment, and asked my husband Fred, 'Mr. Westheimer, how is your sex life?' Fred replied, 'The cobbler has no shoes.'"