Dr. Ruth was born on June 4, 1928, in Frankfurt, Germany. As the only child of an Orthodox Jewish family, she often snuck into her father's library to sneak peeks at his many books, some of which discussed the taboo subject of sexuality (via Biography). But any semblance of a carefree childhood abruptly ceased when the Nazis came to power in 1933. On Kristallnacht, which translates to "The Night of Broken Glass," Nazis infiltrated her area. After the SS took her father and sent him to a labor camp, her family made the difficult decision to send, Ruth, who was just 10 years old at the time, away to Switzerland (via HistoryNet).
Young Ruth entered a Swiss school-turned-orphanage for Jewish refugees. When the war came to a close, the orphanage read out a list of survivors. Sadly, her family members weren't among them. She later found her parents' and grandparents' names in documents the Nazis kept to record the deceased and believes they may have perished at the infamous Auschwitz concentration camp.
When Dr. Ruth looks back on the horrendous events of the Holocaust, she finds it in her heart to be grateful for her parents' sacrifices. "My parents gave me life twice — once when I was born, and once when I was forced to go to Switzerland," she told HistoryNet.
Recounting that time to Newsweek, she said, "I was fortunate." Well, we're certainly fortunate to be her pupils, soaking in her sage wisdom in all its forms (even tweets).
