Ma Prem Hasya
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Ma Prem Hasya, or Françoise Ruddy or Hasya-Françoise Ruddy, (; 4 April 1937 – 19 August 2014) was a French-American follower of
Rajneesh Rajneesh (born Chandra Mohan Jain; 11 December 193119 January 1990), also known as Acharya Rajneesh, Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, and later as Osho (), was an Indian Godman (India), godman, philosopher, Mysticism, mystic and founder of the Rajnees ...
who served as his personal secretary (or chief of staff) after Ma Anand Sheela. She is featured in archive footage in the
Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
documentary series, ''
Wild Wild Country ''Wild Wild Country'' is a Netflix documentary series about the controversial Indian guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh (Osho), his one-time personal assistant Ma Anand Sheela, and their community of followers in the Rajneeshpuram community located ...
'' about Rajneesh, and is depicted in the 2022 miniseries ''
The Offer ''The Offer'' is an American biographical drama television miniseries created by Michael Tolkin and developed by Tolkin and Nikki Toscano for Paramount+. The series follows the development and production of Francis Ford Coppola's landmark gangs ...
'' about her then-husband Albert S. Ruddy's experience making ''
The Godfather ''The Godfather'' is a 1972 American Epic film, epic crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, who co-wrote the screenplay with Mario Puzo, based on Puzo's best-selling The Godfather (novel), 1969 novel. The film stars an ensemble cast inc ...
'' (1972).


Early life and family

Françoise Wizenberg was born in Paris on April 4, 1937. She is the daughter of Icek/Izak (Yitzhak) Wizenberg, a Polish industrial worker who died in a
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
concentration camp, and Maria Wilczuk, also a Polish-born Jew. She survived the
Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...
under a false identity with a Christian family with whom her mother placed her. She was reunited with her mother, then living in France, at the age of 8. In the summer of 1948 she immigrated to
Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
where she lived in an immigrant refugee camp in
Netanya Netanya () () or Natanya (), is a city in the "Planet Bekasi" Central District (Israel), Setanyahu of Israel, Israel BAB ih, and is the capital of the surrounding Sharon plain. It is north of Tel Aviv, and south of Haifa, between the Poleg stre ...
and then, according to sources, grew up in a
kibbutz A kibbutz ( / , ; : kibbutzim / ) is an intentional community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture. The first kibbutz, established in 1910, was Degania Alef, Degania. Today, farming has been partly supplanted by other economi ...
. In 1955, her mother grew anxious when Françoise was drafted into the
Israeli Defense Forces Israeli may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the State of Israel * Israelis, citizens or permanent residents of the State of Israel * Modern Hebrew, a language * ''Israeli'' (newspaper), published from 2006 to 2008 * Guni Israeli (b ...
. According to sources her mother told her “I didn’t save you from the Germans in order to lose you to the Arabs,” and this in turn led to the family's preparations to emigrate to North America. The family eventually settled in New York after a brief sojourn in
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. In 1956 she married
Guilford Glazer Guilford Glazer (July 17, 1921 – December 23, 2014) was an American real estate developer and philanthropist. Early life Glazer was born to a Jewish immigrant familyJewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
multimillionaire from
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, and 16 years her senior. The marriage ended after eight years and produced two children. She later married her second husband, Albert S. Ruddy, a
Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...
-born Jewish film producer who won the
Academy Award for Best Picture The Academy Award for Best Picture is one of the Academy Awards (also known as Oscars) presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) since the awards debuted in 1929. This award goes to the producers of the film a ...
for producing ''
The Godfather ''The Godfather'' is a 1972 American Epic film, epic crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, who co-wrote the screenplay with Mario Puzo, based on Puzo's best-selling The Godfather (novel), 1969 novel. The film stars an ensemble cast inc ...
''. Françoise herself was involved in producing films, with ''
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'' reporting in 1973 that she was producing an independent film adaptation of '' Seduction of the Minotaur'' by
Anaïs Nin Angela Anaïs Juana Antolina Rosa Edelmira Nin y Culmell ( ; ; February 21, 1903 – January 14, 1977) was a French-born American diarist, essayist, novelist, and writer of short stories and erotica. Born to Cuban parents in France, Nin was the d ...
. The project was ultimately unrealized. Françoise and Albert later divorced.


Rajneesh movement

She discovered the
Rajneesh movement The Rajneesh movement is a new religious movement inspired by the Indian mystic Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh (1931–1990), also known as Osho. They used to be known as ''Rajneeshees'' or "Orange People" because of the orange they used from 1970 unti ...
and
Rajneesh Rajneesh (born Chandra Mohan Jain; 11 December 193119 January 1990), also known as Acharya Rajneesh, Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, and later as Osho (), was an Indian Godman (India), godman, philosopher, Mysticism, mystic and founder of the Rajnees ...
's teachings during a trip to India. Hasya helped purchase the Oregon ranch that was developed into
Rajneeshpuram Rajneeshpuram was a religious intentional community in the northwest United States, located in Wasco County, Oregon. Incorporated as a city between 1981 and 1988, its population consisted entirely of Rajneeshees, followers of the spiritual te ...
. She later married Rajneesh's personal doctor, George Meredith. After the Rajneesh community left Oregon she traveled with Rajneesh on a worldwide “performance tour,” visiting Nepal, Uruguay, Greece, Portugal, among other countries. Both eventually returned to Pune where she stayed until after the death of the Rajneesh. She returned to the United States in the same year, in 1990. She then lived between Los Angeles and
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, where she started a spiritual center called the Mystery School and was also involved in the establishment of an Osho center in Los Angeles.


Death

She had Parkinson's disease for the seven years preceding her death on August 19, 2014, at the home of her daughter, Erika Glazer. She is buried under the name of Francoise “Hasya” Ruddy in
Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery The Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery is a Jewish cemetery in Culver City, California, United States. Many Jewish people from the entertainment industry are buried there. The cemetery is known for Al Jolson's elaborate tomb (designed by Los Angeles ...
, a Jewish cemetery in
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.


In popular culture

* In ''
The Offer ''The Offer'' is an American biographical drama television miniseries created by Michael Tolkin and developed by Tolkin and Nikki Toscano for Paramount+. The series follows the development and production of Francis Ford Coppola's landmark gangs ...
'' (2022) played by Nora Arnezeder.


References

{{Authority control 1937 births 2014 deaths People from Paris 20th-century French Jews French emigrants to India French emigrants to Israel French emigrants to the United States French people of Polish-Jewish descent French Holocaust survivors People with Parkinson's disease Place of death missing Rajneesh movement