Ruth Westheimer, better known as Dr. Ruth, will be making a special appearance at the Kaplen JCC on the Palisades on Sunday, November 4, at 5 p.m., to speak about her life and the lessons she’s learned.

Known for speaking frankly about intimate matters, Dr. Ruth has enjoyed an illustrious career as a late-night radio, television and a pop culture celebrity whose humor and warmth have entertained and educated thousands of viewers and listeners since the 1980s. However, there is much more to her story than most people know, and she will be sharing it with her JCC audience. Born to German, Jewish parents, Ruth was sent to Switzerland on a Kindertransport at age 10 to escape the Nazis; her father was taken by the Gestapo, and after the war, Ruth learned that both her parents had been killed in the Holocaust. She immigrated to Palestine, trained and served as a Hagenah sniper, was wounded in an explosion and ultimately came to the US, where she worked as a maid before moving on to become a college professor, author and celebrity. Her new book, “Roller-Coaster Grandma”—a graphic, novel-style autobiography for ages 8-12 that depicts the ups and downs of her 90-year-journey—uses a trip to an amusement park with her grandchildren as its backdrop.

Dr. Ruth will share her amazing story in the context of her book, which explores how she learned to be strong and resilient in the face of hardship and how we can all apply her lessons to our own lives. Dr. Ruth’s presentation is sure to be amusing and uplifting.

The program will include Dr. Ruth’s special brand of Q&A. Cost is $16 JCC members/$20 public. Books will be available for purchase and signing. The event is co-sponsored with the James H Grossmann Memorial Jewish Book Month Endowment Fund.