Ruth Oppenheim
November 28, 1927 — March 12, 2026
Services
Obituary
Ruth Oppenheim (née Heimann) died on March 12 at the age of 98.
She will be missed by her family, who will remember her as a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, and a model for strength and perseverance in the face of life’s challenges.
Ruth immigrated to this country from Hitler’s Germany in 1940. Her childhood years there had a profound impact on her life and left her with deep compassion for the underprivileged and victims of persecution. Throughout her life, she served as a Holocaust spokesperson of Sandra Bornstein Holocaust Education Center, and shared her holocaust experience through many interviews, invited lectures and a published personal memoir.
Having been denied an education as a Jew, she strove in her new country to take advantage of every educational opportunity. She took pride in obtaining a degree from Harvard, which she attended while raising her family. In 2023, she received an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Brown University, an award that recognized her dedication to Holocaust education, driven by a mission to inspire others to confront injustice.
Ruth had a strong commitment to her Jewish faith and a deep love and appreciation for her adopted country, which she instilled in her children.
She was married to Walter Oppenheim, who shared a birthplace and early childhood in Germany. They met in New York and were married for 48 years; Walter passed in 1995.
Ruth is survived by her children Claudia and Jeffrey; daughter-in-law Valerie; son-in-law Duke; grandchildren Danielle, Nicole, Jay and Caryn, and great-grandchildren Adair, Hattie, Wallis, and Zev.
The funeral will be held at Temple Habonim, 165 New Meadow Street, Barrington, Rhode Island, at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, March 16, with burial at Kensico Cemetery in Valhalla, New York, to follow at 2:00 p.m.the same day.
Baltimore Shiva will be held at the family residence - 2209 South Road on Thursday, March 19 from 5:30-8:00pm. Services will begin at 7pm.
In lieu of flowers, the family encourages donations to Temple Habonim; the Rhode Island Foundation/Walter M. Oppenheim Fund; the Sandra Bornstein Holocaust Education Center (401 Elmgrove Avenue, Providence, Rhode Island); and Dorcas International Institute of Rhode Island (220 Elmwood Avenue, Providence, Rhode Island)
She will be missed by her family, who will remember her as a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, and a model for strength and perseverance in the face of life’s challenges.
Ruth immigrated to this country from Hitler’s Germany in 1940. Her childhood years there had a profound impact on her life and left her with deep compassion for the underprivileged and victims of persecution. Throughout her life, she served as a Holocaust spokesperson of Sandra Bornstein Holocaust Education Center, and shared her holocaust experience through many interviews, invited lectures and a published personal memoir.
Having been denied an education as a Jew, she strove in her new country to take advantage of every educational opportunity. She took pride in obtaining a degree from Harvard, which she attended while raising her family. In 2023, she received an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Brown University, an award that recognized her dedication to Holocaust education, driven by a mission to inspire others to confront injustice.
Ruth had a strong commitment to her Jewish faith and a deep love and appreciation for her adopted country, which she instilled in her children.
She was married to Walter Oppenheim, who shared a birthplace and early childhood in Germany. They met in New York and were married for 48 years; Walter passed in 1995.
Ruth is survived by her children Claudia and Jeffrey; daughter-in-law Valerie; son-in-law Duke; grandchildren Danielle, Nicole, Jay and Caryn, and great-grandchildren Adair, Hattie, Wallis, and Zev.
The funeral will be held at Temple Habonim, 165 New Meadow Street, Barrington, Rhode Island, at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, March 16, with burial at Kensico Cemetery in Valhalla, New York, to follow at 2:00 p.m.the same day.
Baltimore Shiva will be held at the family residence - 2209 South Road on Thursday, March 19 from 5:30-8:00pm. Services will begin at 7pm.
In lieu of flowers, the family encourages donations to Temple Habonim; the Rhode Island Foundation/Walter M. Oppenheim Fund; the Sandra Bornstein Holocaust Education Center (401 Elmgrove Avenue, Providence, Rhode Island); and Dorcas International Institute of Rhode Island (220 Elmwood Avenue, Providence, Rhode Island)
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