Ruth Jacobsen (8 April 1932 - 19 February 2019) was a German-born lesbian artist and a Hidden Child of 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 ...

. During the

Second World War 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 ...

, she fled with her parents to the Netherlands where she was hidden by the

Dutch resistance The Dutch resistance () to the History of the Netherlands (1939–1945), German occupation of the Netherlands during World War II can be mainly characterized as non-violent. The primary organizers were the Communist Party of the Netherlands, C ...

until she was reunited with her parents towards the end of the war. Traumatized by the war, her parents both committed suicide. In 1953, she emigrated to the United States to stay with distant family and there became a textiles designer. Working as the first female film projectionist in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, she helped create a training program for women entering that profession. Jacobsen increasingly devoted her time to art using family letters and photographs in order to cope with her childhood traumas. She is remembered in particular for her collage works centred on the

Biography

Born in Frankenburg, Germany, on 8 April 1932, Ruth Jacobsen was the daughter of Walter Jacobsen and his wife Paula. Faced with the persecution of the Jews by the

Nazi Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

s, the family fled to the Netherlands in 1939, settling in the village of

Oud-Zuilen Oud-Zuilen is a village in the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is a part of the municipality of Stichtse Vecht, and lies about 4 km northwest of Utrecht. It is in an area called the "Vechtstreek". Zuylen Castle is located in the village. Hist ...

. In 1942, relying on the assistance of the

, they were forced into hiding but two months later Ruth Jacobsen was hidden away from her parents in various Christian families. She was reunited with her parents at the end of the war but, traumatized by their experiences, both committed suicide. In 1953, Ruth emigrated to the United States where she lived with distant relatives. After first working as textile designer, she became the first woman to be employed as a

film projectionist A projectionist is a person who operates a movie projector, particularly as an employee of a movie theater. Projectionists are also known as "operators". Historical background N.B. The dates given in the subject headings are approximate. Early ...

in New York City. She devoted her spare time to developing her artistic talents, concentrating on collage works. These centred on the Holocaust, the 1980s AIDS crisis and indigenous rights. On her retirement she turned to art, creating many art works and collages compiled with items she found in letters and photographs which had been saved by a Christian family living in Germany. It was reported that thanks to her writing and artwork she was able to reclaim herself. Ursula Hegi, a German-born novelist and Holocaust specialist, commented: "Her legacy is significant, certainly to her life but beyond that to world history, evoking the legacy of another child hidden in Holland —

Anne Frank Annelies Marie Frank (, ; 12 June 1929 – February or March 1945)Research by The Anne Frank House in 2015 revealed that Frank may have died in February 1945 rather than in March, as Dutch authorities had long assumed"New research sheds new li ...

, who gave the world the girl’s perspective of the hidden child... Ruth Jacobsen gives us both the girl's perspective and the woman's perspective." Her book ''Rescued Images'' (2001) is based on a series of collages from photographs in an old family album. Her devastating childhood is brought back to life, reviving memories she had long suppressed. Ruth Jacobsen died in

Southampton, New York Southampton, officially the Town of Southampton, is a town in southeastern Suffolk County, New York, partly on the South Fork of Long Island. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the town had a population of 69,036. Southampton is included in the stre ...

on 19 February 2019. She had lived there for more than three decades with her wife Christine Epifania who died in 2017. Jacobsen's papers are in the collection of the

Center for Jewish History The Center for Jewish History is a partnership of five Jewish history, scholarship, and art organizations in New York City, namely the American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute New York, Yeshiva Univ ...

. A 1992 oral history by Jacobsen is in the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jacobsen, Ruth 1932 births 2019 deaths Jewish emigrants from Nazi Germany to the United States American collage artists 20th-century American women artists 21st-century American women writers Lesbian Jews 21st-century American women artists American lesbian artists