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Westheimer’s early life during the Holocaust was marked by her time living in Switzerland. Her father was taken away by the Nazis a week after Kristallnacht, or the Night of Broken Glass, in 1938. Westheimer cried while her father was taken away by men in gloss-finished boots, while her grandmother gave the men money and asked them to care for him. Westheimer's mother and grandmother decided that Germany was too dangerous due to the tension and Nazi violence growing, so they sent Westheimer on a "Kinder Transport," a transport taking Jewish children going to Switzerland. Westheimer was sent to an orphanage in Switzerland at 11 years old, and took on the role of a caregiver and mother-like figure to the younger children there. While an orphan, Westheimer was not allowed to take classes at the local school. A fellow orphan, a male, would sneak his textbooks to Westheimer at night so she could learn and continue to evolve in her education. Westheimer would go on to pursue her education in the United States.

While at the orphanage, Westheimer would correspond with her mother and grandmother via letters. When the letters ceased in 1941, Westheimer knew she would not hear from them again. The details of her parents' deaths due to the Holocaust are also included in the Hulu documentary about Westheimer titled "Ask Dr. Ruth," released on the streaming service earlier this year. Her father was killed in the Auschwitz concentration camp in 1942. Her mother was killed during the Holocaust, but there is no specific information about her death, or about how and when she died. In the data base at the Yad Vashem World Holocaust Remembrance Center, Westheimer's mother is categorized by the word verschollen, or disappeared.

Westheimer continues to be an active figure. In addition to the documentary released about her this year, she has recently published her 45th book. On her 91st birthday (June 4), Westheimer visited the Ellen DeGeneres show, and visited Ellen's show again in November 2019, taking questions from the audience. In 2019 alone, Westheimer has appeared on Late Night with Seth Meyers, The View, and the Strahan, Sara and Keke show.