Ruth Scheuer Siegler

It is with profound sadness that we announce that our dear and beloved survivor and friend, Ruth Scheuer Siegler, passed away on Saturday, September 3, at the age of 95. Her passing was a mere 10 days after that of her sister, Ilse Scheuer Nathan, with whom she held a special bond both before, during, and after the Holocaust.

Ruth grew up in a loving and religiously devout family in the small German town of Sinzenich. Sinzenich was a farming town that was primarily Catholic, and the family enjoyed endearing relationships with their neighbors until the pre-war years.

Ruth was blessed with the ability to remember almost everything, including the horrors of her wartime experiences and the losses of those dearest to her. She shared all of that and more in her memoir released in 2011, My Father's Blessing. Her willingness to share her story helped to shape the Alabama Holocaust Education Center into the nationally recognized center for Holocaust education that it has become today. Her contributions include her participation in the exhibit, Darkness into Life: Alabama Holocaust Survivors Through Photography and Art, facilitating the use of her story in teacher workshops, and the creation of the Siegler Fellowship by her children upon her 90th birthday which provides opportunities for students to research Holocaust survivor-related topics. Her visits to schools where she shared her story and emphasized the importance of fighting hate made lasting impressions on the teachers and students that she touched.

Ruth Siegler was a Holocaust survivor, but so much more. When she came to America, she strove to live as "normal" a life as possible. She married Walter Siegler and had three children. Her husband’s untimely death necessitated her going to work at a time when many women did not work outside the home. Through her work and generous spirit, she developed lifelong friends who remained loyal to the very end.

While life threw her many curveballs, Ruth remained strong, optimistic, and religiously devout. She attended her beloved Temple Beth-El regularly, said her prayers each night, and lived by the words of her father:

“Lerne leiden ohne zu klagen.”

Learn to suffer without complaining.

Ruth is survived by her children, Steven (Cecy) Siegler, Annette (Joel) Levy and Danny (Cindy) Siegler, 7 grandchildren, and 4 great-grandchildren.

Graveside services will be held Tuesday, September 6 at 2:00 p.m. at Elmwood Cemetery, Block 40, with a memorial service and reception to follow at Temple Beth-El.

The family asks that in lieu of flowers, contributions be made to the Siegler Fellowship at the Alabama Holocaust Education Center, PO Box 130805, Birmingham, AL 34213-0805 or to Temple Beth-El, PO Box 550220, Birmingham, AL 35255