The career of Karola Ruth Westheimer began in 1980 with the radio call-in program Sexually Speaking, which transformed her into a national media figure. By 1985, her subsequent television broadcast attracted two million viewers weekly, establishing her as a prominent expert on human sexuality who balanced clinical accuracy with a notably warm, respectful, and candid demeanor.
Early Life and Displacement
Born in 1928 in Wiesenfeld, Germany, she was the only child of Orthodox Jewish parents. Following the rise of the Nazi regime, her parents sent her to a children's orphanage in Heiden, Switzerland, in 1939 through the Kindertransport program. She remained there for six years while her parents and paternal grandmother were eventually deported to the Łódź Ghetto, where they perished. Throughout the war, she acted as a caretaker for younger children in the orphanage.
Twenty questions, eight minutes on the clock, and a percentile measured against everyone who has taken it. No sign-up.
Take the IQ test →Service in Mandatory Palestine
In 1945, she relocated to British-controlled Mandatory Palestine, joining agricultural kibbutzim including Ramat David and Yagur. She eventually moved to Jerusalem to study early childhood education. During this period, she joined the Haganah, a Zionist paramilitary organization. Standing 4 feet 7 inches tall, she received training as a scout and a sniper. In 1948, she sustained severe injuries to her feet from an exploding shell during mortar fire in Jerusalem.
Academic and Media Career
After moving to Paris to study psychology at the Sorbonne, she immigrated to the United States in 1956. She completed a Master of Arts in sociology at The New School in 1959 and earned a doctorate from Columbia University in 1970. Her media presence expanded throughout the 1980s and 1990s as she hosted numerous programs across the Lifetime Channel and other cable networks. Her body of work includes 45 books focused on sex and sexuality.
Fast facts
- Born: 1928, Wiesenfeld, Germany
- Died: 2024, Manhattan, United States
- Education: University of Paris, Columbia University, Weill Cornell Medicine
- Military service: Haganah sniper
- Total books authored: 45
- Notable honor: Magnus Hirschfeld Medal (1994)
- Languages: German, French, English, Hebrew
Questions readers ask
What was her primary professional background?
She was a sociologist and sex therapist who taught at several universities.
Did she serve in the military?
Yes, she trained as a sniper and scout with the Haganah in Jerusalem.
Achievements
- Women in Technology Hall of Fame — 2010
- Affiliated with University of Paris
- Educated at Columbia University, University of Paris and Weill Cornell Medicine
- Worked as radio personality, sex therapist and television presenter
