Holocaust survivor Ruth Posner and husband die at Swiss clinic; friend raises concerns of coercion
A close friend alleges Ruth Posner was ‘totally reliant’ on her husband, who died alongside her, in a decision they described as mutual but contested by supporters.
A Holocaust survivor and actress, Ruth Posner, 96, and her husband, Michael Posner, 97, died at a Swiss clinic near Basel after a decision to end their lives that friends describe as potentially coercive. A close confidant says Posner’s husband was emotionally controlling and that Ruth may have gone along with the plan because she was heavily dependent on him. The couple’s email to family and friends said the choice was mutual and free of outside pressure, but Julia Pascal, a playwright and close friend, contends the dynamic within the marriage overwhelmed Ruth and that the plan was not Ruth’s alone to make.
The email, sent to relatives and friends on Tuesday, coincided with the Jewish New Year and announced that Ruth and Michael had ended their long life together at Pegasos, an assisted-death clinic near Basel. The couple wrote that they had “lived a long life and together for almost 75 years,” and that “the point when failing senses, of sight and hearing and lack of energy was not living but existing that no care would improve” had arrived. They stressed the decision was “mutual and without any outside pressure,” and that they had “an interesting and varied life.” They signed, in their own words, “Much love Ruth & Mike.”
Pascal told The Times that Michael Posner, described by friends as emotionally controlling, would have dictated the message to Ruth. She said she had heard the couple discussing a Swiss clinic for the past two years and had pleaded with them not to go through with it. Pascal said Ruth would have said the decision was hers, but she believed the reality was that she was “totally under his control.” Pascal said Ruth was “totally reliant” on Michael for daily life, from cooking to paying bills, and that the choice to end their lives was not Ruth’s alone.
Ruth Posner, a survivor of the Warsaw Ghetto, fled with her aunt during World War II after adopting a false identity to survive. She later built a career in dance and acting, performing on stage and screen for decades. On arrival in the United Kingdom at 16, she did not speak English but soon trained as a dancer before pursuing acting, joining the Royal Shakespeare Company and later appearing in films such as Leon the Pig Farmer and TV series including Casualty, The Ruth Rendell Mysteries and Count Arthur Strong.
Her life in postwar Britain included public advocacy. Posner was awarded the British Empire Medal in 2022 for services to Holocaust education, recognizing her work as a speaker and educator about the Nazi era. She and Michael married in 1950, and their life together endured personal tragedy when their son Jeremy died at 37 while recovering from heroin addiction. The couple are survived by their grandson, Zac.
In the wake of their deaths, colleagues and institutions paid tribute to Ruth Posner’s life and work. Sonja Linden, an artistic director and longtime friend, told The Times she did not learn of the deaths until receiving the couple’s email and described their flat as “packed with art and books.” Linden said Ruth and Michael had remained intellectually vibrant and that Ruth’s health had grown frail in later years, with Michael suffering from macular degeneration and hearing loss.
Tributes from Holocaust education and anti-hate organizations followed. Karen Pollock CBE, chief executive of The Holocaust Educational Trust, lauded Posner as a survivor who turned her experiences into public testimony to educate younger generations about antisemitism’s persistence. Campaign Against Antisemitism echoed the sentiment, expressing sorrow at the loss of “an inspiration and a shining example of how to use one’s voice for good.”
The episode has drawn attention to the broader issues surrounding assisted dying and elder autonomy. Advocates and critics alike have pointed to the need for careful assessment of capacity and external pressures when an older person chooses to end their life. The case also highlights the complex emotional terrain that can accompany long-term caregiving, the dynamics of intimate partnerships in later life, and how family and friends respond when a loved one makes a life-ending decision.
Pegasos, the clinic near Basel where the couple traveled, has become a focal point in ongoing public discussion about assisted dying in Europe. For Ruth Posner and Michael Posner, their deaths close a long, storied life marked by survival, public achievement, and a deeply personal, contested decision that continues to reverberate among those who knew them.
For confidential support, call Samaritans on 116 123 or visit samaritans.org.