The Joy of Connections

“Loneliness is about the quality of connections in your life, not the quantity.” - Dr. Ruth Westheimer, The Joy of Connections: 100 Ways to Beat Loneliness and Live a Happier and More Meaningful Life

This is the opening sentence in the last book, of the 45 books she authored, by Dr. Westheimer, who died on July 12, 2024, at age 96, in her home in New York City. She was dedicated to the work of creating and fostering human connection throughout her 65-year career.

Her work on human connection and intimacy - emotional, relational, and physical - was ground-breaking. She was not afraid to talk about any subject related to connection, driven by a mission to break down barriers between people, with the objective of alleviating the loneliness that at one time or another touches every person’s life.

For her dedication, into her 97th year, we respect her work. Creating human connection and alleviating loneliness and isolation is also Someone To Tell It To’s work. And while we may focus on different aspects of creating human connection, our objectives are deeply in line with hers.

We were heartened to learn last year that Dr. Westheimer was appointed the state of New York’s first-ever Ambassador to Loneliness. "We worked together to spotlight a mental health crisis impacting our seniors. She was brave, funny, candid and brilliant”, declared New York Governor Kathy Hochul, upon announcing Dr. Westheimer’s appointment..

In a recent three-minute video, Dr. Vivek Murthy, the United States Surgeon General highlights Dr. Westheimer’s work and legacy of addressing the epidemic of loneliness that pervades our culture, He, too, is about the work of human connection and deeper relationships. 

Ruth Westheimer was born in Germany to a Jewish family. As the Nazis came to power, her parents sent the 10-year-old girl to a school in Switzerland for safety while they remained behind because of her elderly grandmother.  Ruth never saw them again. Both of her parents were killed in concentration camps. After World War II, she emigrated to British-controlled Mandatory Palestine, where on her 20th birthday, she was wounded by an exploding shell during mortar fire on Jerusalem during the 1948 Palestine War, and almost lost both feet.

She later studied psychology at the Sorbonne, in Paris, France, and later got Masters and Doctorate degrees, in the United States. She taught at universities, had radio and television shows, giving serious advice about relationships, intimacy, and alleviating loneliness and disconnection. She was given numerous awards and honors for her work and was extremely popular and sought after. Her life’s story certainly inspired her ground-breaking work. 

When Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy focused on the fact that loneliness “represents an urgent public health concern”—exacerbated by social media overuse, the residual effects of the pandemic, and the lack of meaningful relationships. 

We commend her life’s calling and work, and highlight Dr. Westheimer as another tireless leader in the mission to help humans break free from the bonds of hopelessness and isolation.