Posted on 03/31/2006 2:27:08 PM PST by Alouette
Renowned American sex therapist to lecture next generation of army commanders on family life, relationships and, of course, sex
Renowned sexologist Dr. Ruth Westheimer is set to appear before IDF officers on a regular basis as of next year, Israel’s leading newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported Friday.
Dr. Ruth will lecture trainees at the IDF Command and General Staff College in Glilot on family life, relationships and, of course, sex.
Officers attending the college are marked as the next generation of IDF commanders.
During his recent trip to the U.S., IDF Personnel Directorate Head Elazar Stern met with Dr. Ruth, who offered her professional services to the IDF. Stern was enthused by the idea, saying he intended on adding Westheimer to the college staff.
“Standing army officers often face challenges regarding their family life, and I believe we must not only see to it that they receive vehicles and other benefits, but also see to it that they lead a healthy family life,” Stern said.
During a recent meeting between IDF Chief of Staff Dan Halutz and the wives of IDF Battalion commanders at the Command and General Staff College, the wives complained of not seeing their husbands enough. Halutz immediately instructed college staff to grant the officers leave at least once a week so they may visit their families; he also ordered the cancellation of Friday physical fitness tests, as the activity came at the expense of weekend quality time for the officers and their families.
Warning! This is a high-volume ping list.
Because after all, when the sh*t hits the fan, it's crucial to know the man in the foxhole next to you is responsive to his wife's needs.
Considering Dr. Ruth served as an Israeli sniper (and was seriously wounded) in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War war, this isn't quite as ridiculous as it seems.
Great minds....
3 seconds... not bad.
She is going to show them how to keep their guns up?
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The first time I talked to Dr. Ruth Westheimer was on the phone. I called her home in New York to explain what National Geographic wanted to know from the world's most famous sex therapist. I had prepared my arguments in case she was reticent: about how we wanted to discuss cultural differences in sex around the world, her work with children's education, her extraordinary life. I need not have bothered.
"Hello, Tom!" The voiced that launched a million nervous giggles came through the receiver and lit up the room. And it was clear in a flash, Dr. Ruth simply wanted to establish a personal relationship before diving into coitus garrulous.
This 4-foot-7-inch-tall (140 centimeters), German born, Jewish grandmother is all about relationships… between men and women, old and young, lovers and friends. As she walks into my studio, she instinctively hugs shoulders, pats hands, and touches the arms of everyone she sees. She fills the space around her with warmth, compassion, intelligence, and caring; and for Dr. Ruth, these qualities are the underpinnings of sex the whole world over.
Tom Foreman: Do you think that people really are the same everywhere—no matter their culture, no matter their religion—that sexually, we're all doing the same things?
Dr. Ruth: You said it very well, Tom—sexually we are doing the same things. That's how babies are made. However, there are some differences in terms of cultural background, in terms of religious backgrounds, in terms of premarital sexual relations, in terms of being able to talk about issues of sexuality. For example, in Israel I did a little survey, about Bedouins who did come to clinics. And the men did say that they have difficulties with their erections—they made that gesture (holding up her finger), but they would never say it.
Tom Foreman: If somebody said, "Sum up the American sexual persona," what would you say?
Dr. Ruth: Look, first of all, we are a country with many different cultures, many different backgrounds. What I have seen in the last 20 years, since I started the radio program, and what I see in my private practice is the change is not about the problems. The problems that people bring to me or that they talk about are the same—of premature ejaculation, of women not being able to have sexual satisfaction. What definitely has changed in this country is the vocabulary—people are more explicit, people are more sexually literate. And I welcome this. There is more of an awareness that sex is not only for procreation; that it certainly is for recreation. Look at the smile on you!
Tom Foreman: My smile is going to get me into trouble. But some years ago, people made a big deal of the notion that Europeans and other people were much freer about sex, and that we were a prudish nation—are we?
Dr. Ruth: No. You see it's true that there are myths that have filtered down throughout the ages. For example, the Victorian mother who told her daughter the night of the wedding, "Lie back and think of England, there is nothing in it for you!" (Laughter) When I compare, and I didn't do a scientifically validated study, but I travel a lot [and] it is not true that we [Americans] are more prudish. What is true is it's a little different—for example, in England you know that there is a magazine that every single day has to have breasts on page three…of a naked woman. We have that in Penthouse and Playboy, but not in a magazine that comes to the house.
Tom Foreman: You have said that you personally are a little bit prudish about some things.
Dr. Ruth: I am very old fashioned, Tom, and a square. (Laughter) I believe in love. I believe in relationships. I believe in people staying together for a lifetime or as long as possible.
Tom Foreman: You say that from the context of having had some marriages that didn't work out.
Tom Foreman: Your parents sent you away from the Nazis when you were ten years old and your entire family died at Auschwitz.
Dr. Ruth: That's right. They were all exterminated in concentration camps. And when I went to then Palestine, which became Israel in 1948, and the first fellow who offered to marry me…we loved each other, and we are still good friends—but it wasn't a marriage forever. Then I met a gorgeous looking French guy and I married for one year and have a beautiful daughter, and then that didn't lead to a relationship. However, my late husband who passed away, he was Fred Westheimer. We were married for 37 years, and that was a marriage.
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. I've never killed anybody. I was badly wounded.
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.
If that's true, my regard for Dr. Ruth just went up tremendously.
Plus, she knows how to handle a gun with care. :-)
One shot, one kill thrill.
YOu mean SWEET LITTLE DR RUth was sniper
OMG my approval of her go up amazing LOL!
ALRIGHT Rack Dr Ruth LOL!
Dr. Ruth was a sniper who killed Arabs with headshots. No joke!
One lady who definitely knows the difference between a rifle and a gun.
The Israelis have that as an advantage over the Arabs, who do not have good sects..
Unfortunatley, she also worked for Planned Parenthood too.
Yeah, it's amazing. God works in mysterious ways. Just like comedian Don Adams of Get Smart. I never knew he was a Marine drill sergeant who was almost killed in the battle of Guadalcanal.
In mainstream Judaism life begins at birth. This is one area where conservative Christians and most streams of Judaism (including modern Orthodox) see things very differently. It is also why most American Jews are pro-choice and why abortion is legal in Israel and the subject isn't controversial here.
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