Wednesday, August 26, 2009

DR. RUTH WESTHEIMER, MEDIA DARLING & ISRAELI SNIPER

. . . from the worthy site of my good friend DOUBLETAPPER:




Dr. Ruth Westheimer, former Israeli Sniper, sitting on the hood of an IDF Jeep







The future Dr. Ruth Westheimer was born Karola Ruth Siegel in Germany in 1928, the only child of an Orthodox Jewish couple. In 1939, after her father had been taken by the Nazis, her mother and grandmother sent her to Switzerland to get her out of harm's way. She did not see her family again, as they were murdered in the Holocaust.


Ruth was 17 with no home, family or country when WW II ended. Like many other Jewish Holocaust refugees, she moved to Israel (the Palestine). Ruth, dedicated to the building of a Jewish homeland, joined Haganah, an underground Jewish military organization. She served as a sniper. Says Dr. Ruth of that interval:


"When I was in my routine training for the Israeli army as a teenager, they discovered completely by chance that I was a lethal sniper. I could hit the target smack in the center further away than anyone could believe. Not just that, even though I was tiny and not even much of an athlete, I was incredibly accurate throwing hand grenades too. Even today I can load a Sten automatic rifle in a single minute, blindfolded."


Her military career was cut short when she was seriously injured:

On her twentieth birthday, just 8 days after the Haganah was absorbed into the IDF, just as she finished up her watch, an Arab shell exploded at her feet, seriously injuring her.

"My legs were almost ripped off on my 20th birthday in 1948 in Jerusalem from cannon ball shrapnel which exploded in the residence where I was living. Three others were killed instantly and many more were wounded. The metal pierced both my legs, and there was blood everywhere. A cannon ball from Jordan had smashed through the window. I was thrown 20 feet. The strangest thing was that all I could think about was whether there might be some blood on the brand-new shoes I had just gotten for my birthday, and amazingly there wasn't even a drop on them, which was all I cared about in some kind of strange denial."

In an interview with Tom Foreman, Dr Ruth answered some questions about her experience in the fledgling Israeli Military, the Haganah and the IDF.

Tom Foreman: You were trained as a sniper?

Dr. Ruth: We were all trained in the forerunner of the Israeli Defense Force, and for some reason that I can't explain I'm a very good sniper. I can put five bullets into this little red circle (makes circle with her fingers). I know how to throw hand grenades...

Tom Foreman: There was a bomb that went off in the barracks.

Dr. Ruth: Yes.

Tom Foreman: Many of your friends were wounded as well?

Dr. Ruth: Yes and died. Boy you did your homework.

Tom Foreman: Do you think that some of those experiences of your life made you bolder? Many people comment that the thing that strikes them about you is that you so fiercely walk into any culture and you ask very intimate questions.

Dr. Ruth: I am what you call bold because the one thing that I've learned coming out of Nazi Germany is that I have to stand up and be counted for what I believe. And that's how people are listening to me, because they know it's not a put-on.

9 comments:

  1. No it didn't "Anonymous", and boy must your life suck for being aggravated about something half-a-century ago not happening.

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  2. Israel deserves to exist as a sovereign country. The arabs shouldnt be able to own all of the middle east, asia, europe and soon the usa. Jews are people and they are important and they deserve to be sovereign in their own spot which they earned over a half a century ago with blood. Long live the ww2 generation, and long live Israel as we know it, not what it gets torn into.

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    1. They bought that land as early as around 1880 any way.

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  3. Figures you would hide behind the name "anonymous" Look above your post...sounds like you need to put in an order, ask him for a pair while your at it.

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  4. jan evangelista von purkyneMarch 29, 2014 at 4:51 PM

    all the different nationalities pretty much came from middle east,and traveled to different parts of the world, eventually residing where they are now. But only Jewish people are being denied of having a nation of their own. Question is why. why such a hatred. perhaps is it that at one point they wanted Jesus Christ crucified? But it was actually the romans (empire) whom crucified Jesus Christ. And to this day, the Roman empire, is calling the shots in Europe. According to the bible, they will be back (Nazi Germany) for a short time. Meaning, that the world, as we know it, will come to the END. and then, Jesus Christ, whom originaly came to give salvation to HIS CHOSEN PEOPLE,the Jews, will become THE RULER of all of the earth. So why the Jews can't have theyr own country. I think it is the devil behind the scenes preventing it. Interesting,that in todays world, with so much knowledge, that we the people can't get along. So much Pride prevents to become one, and enjoy the differences of the others, instead of trying to be "ABOVE ALL" (part of german anthem). Ilived in Germany with the US military for 5 years, and found what wonderfull people they were.So what is the problem? again I think it is the Devil, fighting Jesus, by using all of the world. I was born in Czechoslovakia, which was used by Hitler for supplies and many of our NON JEWISH people also ended in THE concentration camps, not just the jewish people. In my family we have relatives from all of eouropean states pretty much, so I really can't take sides. My eyes are tearing when such injustice has happened to the Jewish people I wish peace to all, and that only Jesus Christ can give you SALVATIO (forgiveness of sins) for our lives after our bodily death. Jan Evangelista vonPurkyne.

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  5. so sad story

    but hey now she is famous and everybody knows her
    she was in a commercial years ago when they sang RESPECT

    didn't she ?

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  6. this woman is crazy and every time i see her on tv and on book-covers she is laughing :-)

    i forgot something

    i saw a biopic of her months ago

    and she said that actually she WON over Hitler. Because she has children, grandchildren and grand grandchildren

    such a brave woman...................

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  7. This comment has been removed by the author.

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