Ruth Adler
Ruth Adler | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 1 October 1944 Devon, England, United Kingdom |
| Died | 18 February 1994 (aged 49) Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom |
| Alma mater | North London Collegiate School Somerville College, Oxford University of London University of Edinburgh |
| Known for | Child welfare campaigner, human rights campaigner, feminist |
| Children | Jonathan, Benjamin |
Ruth Margaret Adler née Oppenheimer (1 October 1944 – 18 February 1994) was a feminist, human rights campaigner and child welfare advocate. She was founder of Amnesty International's Scotland office as their first employee in Scotland in 1991.[1] She was a founding member of Scottish Women's Aid in 1974, a member of the Lothian Region Children's Panel and she helped to establish the Scottish Child Law Centre.
Life
[edit]Ruth's parents Charlotte and Rudolf Oppenheimer came from Germany to Britain as refugees in the 1930s. Ruth was born in Devon, where her father was stationed during the war.
Her education began at North London Collegiate School.[2] She studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Somerville College, Oxford [3] and an MA in philosophy at University of London. She moved to Scotland in the 1960s with her husband and children and became a part-time tutor in the Philosophy Department of Edinburgh University for many years before gaining a further PhD in Law presenting the thesis Rights, interests and reasoning in juvenile justice.[4] She was influenced by her supervisor Neil MacCormick.[citation needed] Adler was bilingual in English and German and, after obtaining her PhD, she and MacCormick collaborated in translating a number of books by leading Czech (Ota Weinberger) and German (Robert Alexy, Guenter Teubner) legal philosophers from German into English.
While working at The Scottish Child Law Centre she helped to create the first comprehensive database of child law in Scotland.[5] She was a magistrate and a Justice of the Peace. From 1987 to 1991 she was responsible for investigating complaints against solicitors[6] as Assistant to the Lay Observer for Scotland.
As a prominent member of the Edinburgh Jewish community she was editor of the Edinburgh Star.[3][7] and Secretary and President (1998) of the Edinburgh Jewish Literary Society.[6]
Adler founded the Scottish office of Amnesty International in 1991. She worked there until a few days before her death from cancer in 1994, when she was only 49 years old.[2]
Works
[edit]The theme of her thesis (1983) is legal intervention in the lives of children.[8] It was published as a book in 1985 Taking Juvenile Justice Seriously.[9]
Legacy
[edit]Adler's obituary in The Independent describes her three passionate concerns:
'Her life was driven by three passionate concerns: for justice, for children and for her family. To all these she brought a formidable intelligence, unflagging energy, extraordinary determination and, above all, generosity of spirit and loving kindness. These passions were to touch the lives of countless people'.[6]
There is a plaque dedicated to Ruth Adler in the garden of University of Edinburgh Day Nursery.[10][11]
University of Edinburgh School of Law sponsor an annual Ruth Adler Memorial Lecture on Human Rights. Prominent speakers include Shami Chakrabarti in 2016;[12] Sir Stephen Sedley (2015) Professor Christopher McCrudden (2013) Professor Conor Gearty (2009).[13]
The Ruth Adler prize is awarded annually to the best student in the Ordinary course Critical Legal Thinking.[14]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Inspirational Women's Day". www.amnesty.org.uk. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
- ^ a b "Ruth Adler (1944-1994)". The University of Edinburgh. 31 July 2019. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
- ^ a b "RuthAdler". 21 May 2013. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
- ^ Adler, Ruth M. (1983). "Rights, interests and reasoning in juvenile justice".
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ Ewan, Elizabeth L.; Innes, Sue; Reynolds, Sian; Pipes, Rose (8 March 2006). The Biographical Dictionary of Scottish Women. Edinburgh University Press. ISBN 9780748626601.
- ^ a b c Cheetham, Juliet (26 February 1994). "Obituary: Ruth Adler". The Independent. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
- ^ "HISTORY - Page 1". www.edinburghstar.info. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
- ^ M, Adler, Ruth (1983). "Rights, interests and reasoning in juvenile justice". hdl:1842/18587.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ M., Adler, Ruth (1985). Taking juvenile justice seriously. Scottish Academic Press. ISBN 9780707304663. OCLC 13487989.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Ruth Margaret Adler | Mapping Memorials to Women in Scotland". womenofscotland.org.uk. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
- ^ "There are more Edinburgh memorials to remarkable women than you might think". The Scotsman. 26 July 2012. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
- ^ "Global Justice Academy". www.globaljusticeacademy.ed.ac.uk. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
- ^ "Event: Sir Stephen Sedley's Ruth Adler Memorial Lecture, Edinburgh University". UK Constitutional Law Association. 14 May 2015. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
- ^ "Ruth Adler Prize | Edinburgh Law School". www.law.ed.ac.uk. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
- 1944 births
- 1994 deaths
- Alumni of Somerville College, Oxford
- Alumni of the University of Edinburgh
- British feminists
- Jewish women activists
- British women human rights activists
- 20th-century Scottish women lawyers
- Scottish justices of the peace
- Lawyers from Devon
- Jewish British activists
- British people of German-Jewish descent
- Alumni of the University of London
- Amnesty International people
- Jewish human rights activists
- Jewish feminists