Archives West Finding Aid

Ruth Emmerman Peizer (27 July 1923 – 23 October 2013) was born in Chicago to Abraham and Riva Emmerman, who emigrated from Riga, Latvia. She was their only child. In addition to her secular education, including her graduation from Herzl Community College in Chicago, she received a degree from the Sholem Aleichem Folk Institute, which forged her lifelong interest in Yiddish language and culture.

Ruth married Samuel Peizer, M.D., on 27 October 1946 and moved from Chicago to Samuel’s hometown of Seattle in 1949. Samuel established a respected medical practice of nearly 50 years in West Seattle and they both raised three children: Alan, Annette, and Mark.

She shared her expertise in literary Yiddish by teaching classes at the University of Washington, Jewish Education Council, Hebrew High School, and Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle. She also gave public readings, translated private letters.

Ruth also organized shipments of medications and clothing for many years to needy, elderly Jews living in Latvia and Lithuania. She was an involved member of many Jewish organizations, including the National Yiddish Book Center, Herzl-Ner Tamid Conservative Congregation, the Jewish Federation, Hadassah, and the Seattle Yiddish Group.

Preceded by her husband Samuel Peizer of 58 years, Ruth passed away in 2013.