Ruth was born on August 4,1928  Vienna Austria to Shmuel Cohen and  Anita nee Miller, an energetic woman involved in rescuing Jews during WWI and later elected to the Vienna City Council – a  highly unusual position for Jews. When Ruth was seven, her family immigrated legally to Israel, and settled in Tel-Aviv. Ruth studied at  ‘Moria Religious School’, and continued at ‘Balfour High-School’, Tel-Aviv. She was a member of ‘Maccabi Tsair’. After completing high-school, Ruth left for Jerusalem and began her life as a student of History and Sociology at Hebrew University. She was recruited to the Hagana 1944. However, because of the “Saison” (the victimizing of underground members by Haganah members, and turning them over to British authorities), she left. Ruth believed the British were an obstacle to  establishing a Hebrew state in the Land of Israel and that the only way to expel them was by fighting through underground movements. Thus, in 1945 she joined Lehi. She was active in different fields: circulation of pamphlets, in contact positions, in recruiting new members, in liaising with Lehi sympathisers, and in intelligence. She was sent to a weapons-training course, where she became friends with the instructor, Arieh Efrati (Michaeli), whom she later married on May 27,1948. On the night of April 10,1946 Ruth was arrested holding a packet of flyers. Twice she attempted escaping, but got caught both times. After six months’ detention, she was tried and sentenced for a year in prison, and jailed at the Bethlehem Women’s Prison 10 months, until March 1947.  After her release, she continued  underground activity, and was integrated in the Intelligence Department (Department Six), Tel-Aviv. With establishment of the State and foundation of the IDF, she enlisted in June 1,1948, serving in the Women’s Corps as a Finance Officer, finishing as Second Lieutenant. The Efratis had two children, Arnon and Dana and three grandchildren. After the War of Independence, Ruth worked as  Department Manager at the “Maskit” enterprise. She later opened an Art Gallery in Petah-Tikva.