Horowitz was born to Jewish immigrant, working-class parents in The Bronx, New York. She was orphaned in 1962 at the age of 15. Believing that the only hope she might have for a decent life was education, thanks to the lucky combination of a free higher education offered to academically-qualified New York City residents and her father's Social Security payments, she was able to earn a bachelor's degree in political science from Hunter College in 1967. [She went on to earn a master's degree from Rutgers University in 1993.]
