Laura Schlessinger

Laura Schlessinger (born January 16, 1947) is an American cultural and moral commentator, most known as host of the very popular Dr. Laura radio call-in show. The show is nationally syndicated and runs three hours a day on weekdays.

Personal history

Born in 1947 in Brooklyn, New York to Monroe (Monty) Schlessinger and Yolanda Ceccovini Schlessinger, Laura Catherine Schlessinger grew up first in Brooklyn, then in Long Island, New York. She has described her childhood in a dysfunctional family as unpleasant, due to extended family rejection of her mixed-marriage parents (her father was a non-practicing Jew, while her mother was an Italian Catholic) and due to what she has described as an unloving environment. She was an only child for eleven years until the birth of her sister, Cindy. An excellent student, Schlessinger received a bachelor degree from SUNY Stony Brook and a Ph.D. in Physiology from Columbia University. A brief marriage in her early twenties ended in divorce, and she moved to Los Angeles where her parents had resettled.

Related Topics:
1947 - Brooklyn, New York - Brooklyn - Long Island, New York - Dysfunctional family - Jew - Catholic - Bachelor degree - SUNY - Stony Brook - Ph.D. - Physiology - Columbia University - Los Angeles

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She received her certification in Marriage, Family and Child Counseling from University of Southern California (USC) and taught at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), University of California, Irvine, USC, and Pepperdine University. While working at USC, she met Dr. Lewis G. Bishop, who was married with dependent children. According to the subsequent divorce filings, they began an affair. They married eight years later, in early 1985, and he became her business manager. After the reversal of a tubal ligation, and later suffering a tubal pregnancy, Schlessinger bore their only child Deryk Schlessinger in November 1985, when she was 38.

Related Topics:
University of Southern California - University of California, Los Angeles - University of California, Irvine - Pepperdine University - 1985 - Tubal ligation - Tubal pregnancy - Deryk Schlessinger

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Schlessinger converted to Judaism in 1996, and she and her son Deryk joined the Conservative branch (it is unclear if her husband Lewis converted as well). Then in 1998 the entire family converted to Orthodox Judaism under Rabbi Reuven P. Bulka of Ottawa, Ontario. Schlessinger often discussed religion on the show, giving examples from Judaism. She would clarify ethical and moral issues with her local Orthodox Rabbi, Moshe D. Bryski, before mentioning them on the air. She was embraced by the politically conservative segment of Orthodox Judaism after bringing more awareness of Orthodoxy to her radio show. Schlessinger received a National Heritage award from the National Council of Young Israel in early 2001.

Related Topics:
1996 - Conservative branch - 1998 - Orthodox Judaism - Ottawa, Ontario - National Council of Young Israel - 2001

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She has won awards from some media and many conservative organizations, including the National Religious Broadcasters' Chairman's Award. She also lectures on the national conservative circuit, and was the commencement speaker at Hillsdale College in June 2003. Her son matriculated there the following fall; he subsequently left college and joined the United States Army under its 18x Special Forces contract program.

Related Topics:
National Religious Broadcasters - Hillsdale College - 2003 - United States Army - Special Forces

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In July 2003, Schlessinger announced on her show that she was no longer an Orthodox Jew. This was a shock to both fans and detractors, given the effort she had put into identifying as an Orthodox Jew both on-air and off. In a series of monologues over the next month, she explained that she did not feel a connection with God and felt frustrated by the effort she had put into following the religion. She also mentioned envying the relationship with God described by her Christian fans. Her religious approach on the show lessened substantially after this announcement.

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