Ruth Bass Jacobs papers

Ruth Bass Jacobs (1923-2007) was born in North, South Carolina, to Esther Cohen Bass and Nathan Bass.

Nathan Bass (1887-1958) was born in Vasilishok, located in modern-day Lithuania, and in 1901, immigrated to the United States. He and his cousin left New York City in 1908 for Charleston, South Carolina. Four years later, Bass relocated to North, where he established the Bass Mercantile Company, a clothing and textiles store.

Esther Cohen (1889-1974) was born in Bialystok, Poland, and immigrated to the United States in 1891 with her parents and older sister. She grew up in New York City and worked for a jewelry wholesaler until she met Nathan Bass, who was visiting the city to purchase merchandise for his store. They were married in 1917 and settled in North.

The Basses had seven children: Samuel "Bernie" Bass, Herbert "Herbie" Bass, Ruth Bass Jacobs, Frances Bass Ginsberg, Marcia Bass Brody, Lucille Bass Lipsitz, and Jack Bass. Samuel Bass graduated from the University of South Carolina and Herbert Bass graduated from the Citadel and both served in World War II. In 1943 Herbert Bass was killed in action during a failed mission in Guadalcanal. Frances Ginsberg and Lucille Lipsitz both operated family-owned businesses- Ginsberg Ladies Shop in Bishopville and Lipsitz Shoe Store in Beaufort. Marcia Bass Brody co-authored Vos Makhstu Y'all: The Bass Family of North and has documented the family's activities and achievements in the Bass family newsletter. Jack Bass, a journalist and professor, has co-authored several publications on the political culture of the American South.

Ruth Bass graduated from the University of South Carolina in 1943 with a Secretarial Science Certificate. She was working for the South Carolina State Board of Health in Columbia when she met Isaac Jacobs, a travelling salesman for Jacobs Hosiery Company based out of Charleston. Bass and Jacobs were married in 1951 and raised six children in Charleston. The Jacobses were members of the Brith Sholom Beth Israel (BSBI) Congregation.

While raising her children, Ruth Jacobs worked part-time as an office assistant for BSBI and the Addlestone Hebrew Academy, formerly known as the Charleston Hebrew Institute. She was an active member of several Jewish communal organizations, including the BSBI Sisterhood and Charleston Jewish Community Center; she edited the BSBI newsletter The Messenger; and served on the board of the Jewish Historical Society of South Carolina (1999-2006). Jacobs also volunteered with the Jewish Heritage Collection by recording and transcribing oral history interviews. In 2004, she was honored by BSBI as "A Woman Who Makes a Difference." Ruth Jacobs passed away in 2007.