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.
(Yaron Drukman)