Ruth Peter Worth (April 10, 1915 - February 7, 1997)

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Photos of Peter Worth to be added.

Last edited: October 16, 2011. 8:05 pm EST.

The Life of Ruth Peter Worth

Ruth Peter Worth (originally, Ruth Wertheimer), was a Jewish Holocaust survivor, U.S. immigrant, lesbian, and long-time home owner in Cherry Grove, Fire Island, New York.

Worth was born into a well-to-do family in Halberstadt, Germany on April 10, 1915. While she was still a child the family moved to Berlin, where she was raised. Ruth’s maternal family owned a corset manufacturing and repair company with approximately five stores that served an upscale clientele. After Ruth's father, Leopold Wertheimer, died in 1918, her mother, Ellie (or Elly) Bendix married Israel Rosenfeld. <How did Ruth get the last name Worth???>.

As a young woman, Ruth, aware that her sexual attraction was for women, started adding Peter to her name, and sometimes used Peter as her first name, as a verbal way to publicly signify her interest to other like-minded women and men. As a visual signal of her erotic and affectional interest she also sometimes wore a man's tie, although her figure was slight and her demeanor throughout her life was traditionally feminine.

Starting in the late-1920s, Ruth and other family members suffered anti-semitism. In the spring of 1932, Ruth attended the Rackow Handelsschule in Berlin where the anti-semitism of her teachers and classmates forced her to leave before completing her two-year program. She was disappointed as she had hoped to gain a senior-level position in industry or commerce after graduating.

In 1935, Ruth attended a new trade school in Berlin, the Fuerstein–Bismarck School, where she became friends with Edith Margot Alexander (later Certe).

On November 16, 1938, Worth left Germany for Paris, France, possibly as a result of Kristallnacht (the Nazi-organized Crystal Night attack on Jews and Jewish businesses, on November 9 and 10, 1938.

By December 24, 1940, Worth and her family were planning their departure from France to the United States. In a letter addressed to Worth and her mother, her uncle, William Bendix, already in Jackson Heights, Queens, wrote that he had petitioned the "Emergency Committee" on their behalf. He stated that the Committee normally only reviewed political cases, but they were considering Ruth and her mother because their family members were involved with the Anti-Nazi League and the German Democratic Party (Ruth’s uncle William described himself as a leading or founding member).

On July 1, 1941, Ruth and/or her mother wrote an angry letter to her William Bendix, chastising him for holding up their visas to leave France. She suggested that Bendix was holding up their emigration because he was concerned about receiving repayment for their applications. The writers remind him that they are facing a “life and death” situation.

Ruth and her mother soon thereafter emigrated to the United States and settled in New York City. "Ruth Peter Worth" is listed in the U.S. Naturalization Record Indexes as applying for citizenship under that name in New York District Court. Historian Jonathan Ned Katz points to Worth's inclusion of the male name "Peter" on her citizenship application as an extraordinary act of resistance that asserted her lesbian orientation in the face of state, institutional, and cultural sanctions.

Worth found clerical <?> employment at City College in New York City between 1943 and 1949, and from 1949 to 1958 she worked at Hunter College.

Around 1946{?}, Worth bought a small house in Cherry Grove, Fire Island, New York, then a little-known community of lesbians and gay men. She occupied that house every summer and became a slight, quiet member of the community who walked her beloved dog and was known to everyone as "Peter Worth". On August 29, 1986, Worth was one of the major Cherry Grove inhabitants interviewed by anthropologist Esther Newton for her history of Cherry Grove, published by Beacon Press in August 1993. That book is dedicated to Worth <check???>. She also was interviewed by Katherine Linton about her life's journey for "In the Life", the LGBT TV magazine show produced in New York City, and that show first aired on October 27, 1996 when Worth was 81.

As she grew older, Worth saw elderly friends become incapacitated and then committed to old age homes despite their earlier stated promises to end their lives before such a fate. Worth therefore had her hair done, put on her best dress, alerted a responsible woman friend that she was putting her beloved dog in a kennel, and lay down on the bed in her New York City apartment where she took the pills that ended her life. She died on February 7, 1997.

In her will, Worth left large donations to the Lambda Legal Defense & Education Fund, the national organization committed to achieving full recognition of the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people and those with HIV. She also left a significant bequest to SAGE, the country's largest and oldest organization dedicated to improving the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) older adults. Worth also made Esther Newton her literary executor. To the great surprise and delight of Amber Hollibaugh, Newton's partner during the years she was researching the Cherry Grove history, Worth left her friend Hollibaugh her Cherry Grove house.

Chronology by Ron Van Cleef

Researched and written by Ron Van Cleef, November 18, 2009. Jonathan Ned Katz is deeply grateful to Ron Van Cleef for hours of volunteer research in the Ruth Worth Papers, Baeck Institute, New York City, and for writing the Chronology of Worth's life.

1915

Ruth Wertheimer (aka: Worth) was born into a well-to-do family in Halberstadt Germany on April 10, 1915.(1) Ruth’s mother Elly Bendix was born on August 23, 1893 and her father, Leopold Wertheimer, is listed as born January 16, 1893.(2) Ruth’s maternal family owned the “Frau Marianne Bendix” company, a corset manufacturing and repair company with approximately five stores. The company catered to an upscale clientele. Ruth’s mother later claimed the business suffered due to Anti-Semitism in the late 1920s (1929).(3) The documents reveal that Ruth’s grandfather was also a music teacher.

1917

As a child Ruth is raised in Berlin (according to one of her compensation claims).(4)

1918

Ruth’s biological father Leopold Wertheimer dies (records do not indicate cause).(5)

1921

Between 1921 and 1935, the family employed at least one housekeeper (that is mentioned in the documents) Bertha Thilescher.(6) Ruth’s family was fairly comfortable and could best be described as upper middle class.

1929

Mother’s and Aunt’s business suffers a decline in production due to anti-semitism. Ruth’s Aunt Johanna is falsely accused of something (accusation not specified) which leads to a decline in her business and health. Ruth’s aunt needs gallbladder surgery but suffers from complications. Ruth’s mother attributes this to the earlier false accusation which she describes as anti-semitic in later restitution claims. [See footnote 3].

1932

In the spring of 1932, Ruth attends the Rackow Handelsschule in Berlin where the anti-semitism of her teachers and classmates forces her to leave before completing her two-year program. She is disappointed as she hoped to gain a senior-level position in industry or commerce after graduating.(7) This is also confirmed in her later compensation application.(8)

1933

Ruth is still in Berlin where she spent a few weeks working for a company. She would later (1980) seek social security benefits for this. [See reference under 1917]. She was still in attendance at the Rackow Handelschule (trade school) as well. [See footnote 8]

1935

Ruth attends a new trade school in Berlin, the Fuerstein – Bismarck School where she befriends Edith Margot Certe, (nee, Alexander/b. May 31, 1916). Edith is a year younger than Ruth and leaves later that year due to rising anti-semitism. She eventually settles in Victoria Australia where she is later married. Mrs. Certe later provides a sworn statement attesting that Ruth was forced to leave the Rackow Handelsschule.

Ruth’s parents may have emigrated to France this year, but I am not positive. There is a note from a former housekeeper claiming she was employed by the family from 1921 to 1935 when they “emigrated.” The note is written later to include in compensation claims dated November 20, 1959.(9)

1935-1943

According to Ruth’s compensation application – she received little or no income from 1935-1943 [when she landed a Job at City College]. Her income never exceeded RM 350.(10)

1938

On November 16, 1938 Ruth left Germany for Paris France. [Possibly as a result of Kristallnacht /Crystal Night from 9 to 10 November 1938. This is speculation on my part]. She may have travelled to the United Kingdom before going to France, but this is unclear.(11)

1940

On December 12, 1940, Ruth’s mother <Ellen Rosenfeld ?????> receives a letter from someone named Nelly. Nelly reminds Ruth’s mother that Hermann (Nelly’s husband?) is in debt because he sent them money. In the letter, Nelly describes her poor health (cardiac problems and sciatica) and the financial distress that she and Hermann are experiencing in New York. She also mentions that the two of them planned to gas themselves but changed their minds. Nelly than provides an overview of relatives/friends that are dead, sick or stranded in occupied territories and foreign lands [I have a translation with names].(12)

By December 24, 1940, Ruth and her family were planning their departure from France to the United States. In a letter addressed to Ellie (Ruth’s mother) and Ruth, her Uncle William Bendix (already in Jackson Heights Queens) notes that he has petitioned the Emergency Committee on their behalf. He states that the committee normally only reviews political cases, but they are considering Ruth and Ellie because family members were involved with the Anti-Nazi League [Hermann-possibly their cousin] and the German Democratic Party [Ruth’s Uncle William describes himself as a leading/founding member?].

It is likely that the committee referred to is that of Varian Fry’s famous Emergency Committee. [Note: the organization helped hundreds of Jews, mainly intellectuals, escape France. The committee faced strict limitations by the Roosevelt Administration as critics of the program felt it would lead to job competition and political subversion in the United States].

Rosie and Ellie are instructed to write affidavits demonstrating their financial status and good character. An individual by the name of Hermann [possibly a cousin of Ruth’s] acted as a go-between for Ellie, Ruth and William Bendix. Uncle William voices concern over Ruth’s grandfather’s deteriorating mental condition as this will complicate their petition for assistance. He also suggests that it might be best if “Mally" stayed behind. [I do not know who “Mally” is] Towards the end of the letter, William Bendix comments that he hopes to pick them all up from a boat in the New Year.(13)

1941

A local court in Halberstadt declares that Ruth’s Uncle William Bendix is the heir of the Bendix Estate in the event his mother passes, but that all holdings will be held by the local government in Magdeburg. [I’m assuming this is a seizure of property, but am uncertain about the details here]. The Estate is later estimated at RM 8, 610.00 in Securities and Cash equaling RM 11, 239.09.(14)

Ruth’s grandparents died five days apart. The cause of death is apparently natural causes and this appears to be particularly traumatic for her. She notes in letters seeing her grandmother dead in bed. The grandfather passes March 4 and the grandmother on March 9. Ruth writes quite a number of letters to relatives concerning the deaths.

Apparently there were some hard feelings between Ruth’s aunts and the grandparents [possibly resulting from financial disputes over the family business]. Ruth is upset that her grandparents did not have all their children around them at the time of death. Most of the hand-written letters between March and April in the “Ruth Worth Collection” are about these events.(15)

On July 1, 1941 Ruth and/or Ellie write an angry response letter to her Uncle William (need to verify as heading is missing). The letter responds to a number of issues raised in his letter from December 1940 [See correspondence listed under 1940- there were also additional exchanges not present in the collection].(16) She chastises William Bendix for holding up their visas to leave France. She notes that he initially claimed to have Visas on May 1, but is still pressing her with questions concerning money and fees. She tells him her friend Mally and her cousins said they will have the money for the application. She suggests that William is holding the process of their emigration up because he is concerned about receiving his money. She also makes a reference to his current legal case for the grandparents’ estate, which apparently is a cause of some strain between him and Hermann and Mally.(17) Ellen and Ruth remind him that they are facing a “life and death” situation.

1943-1949

Ruth worked at City College between 1943 and 1949. This is confirmed in her later claims for compensation. She needs the CCNY letter to confirm her previously low income in the U.S. and her residency in the country.(18)

1949-1958

Ruth later provides forms from Hunter College concerning her income during this period. It is unclear if this is a reference to attendance, employment or financial aid [need to verify]. The letter from Hunter is dated April 1959.(19)

1956

Ruth’s stepfather Israel Rosenfeld (b. 23 January 1890) dies on April 9. The German birth certificate lists him as being a film producer.(20)

1957

Ruth’s mother writes the German Social Security Department pointing out how their family’s business suffered as a result of Anti-Semitism in 1929 (see documents referenced under 1915).

Ruth receives a letter from the Rackow School confirming her attendance in 1933 which she will later include in her compensation application.(21)

1959

City College provides Ruth with confirmation of her past employment to include in her compensation application with the West German Government.(22)

1960 [need to verify specific date-blurry document]

Ruth’s mother begins the process of filing for restitution claims via the U.S. Justice Department around July 1.(23)

1963

Ruth receives a suicide note from a friend (or possibly a relative?). The letter’s author apologizes for killing herself but finds her life “barren and loveless” since the loss of L.G. (not sure who this is). She has chosen sleeping pills as she fears gas would alarm the neighbors. The note is articulate and sad. The letter is addressed to “Peter my darling.” [I am unclear if the attempt was successful or not].(24)

1970

As of September 1, Ruth’s uncle, William Bendix, was still trying to obtain his inheritance. His lawyer wrote attorneys in Germany confirming a listing of documents previously sent. [It may be that the money was granted and he is doing this for family purposes – I am not absolutely certain]. He has a family-based agreement to share the estate with his two sisters, Ellen Rosenfeld Roberts (Ruth’s mother ????) and Johanna Kratz (Ruth’s Aunt).(25)

1975

Ruth’s Uncle William files for compensation regarding financial losses to the German Democratic Republic/GDR. There is an agreement between the governments of the United States and East Germany to compensate people who suffered financial losses due to the Holocaust. The address for William Bendix is listed as 41-65, Seventy-fifth Street, Elmhurst, NY 11373.(26)

Ruth’s mother also receives a letter dated June 30, from her lawyer (also William Bendix lawyer) informing her he will be in Berlin and Frankfurt negotiating all his clients’ cases.(27)

1979

William Bendix (Ruth’s Uncle) is informed by his lawyer, Werner Feilchenfeld that the West German Parliament has agreed to compensate current litigators for interest on funds previously on hold in the GDR (East Germany). This is effective February 1, 1979. The changes will bring an additional 10% interest on the claims he filed for. Oddly enough, William Bendix still has not settled his original case.(28)

1980

On March 20, Ruth sends inquiries concerning possible “new” social security benefits for a job she had in Berlin in 1933 [see reference listed under 1917]

1989

In a letter dated March 23, 1989. Ellen Rosenfeld-Roberts [99 years old or possible deceased?] is informed by the Bundesversicherungsanstalt fuer Angestellte (Federal Insurance Institute for Federal Employees/Social Security) that she will receive 524.80DM for child support.(29)

Ellen Rosenfeld-Roberts' address is listed as 115 East 82nd Street (as opposed to the earlier Jackson Heights, Queens address or the East 61st street address in Manhattan).

Notes to Worth Chronology by Ron Van Cleef

1. Impfschein, Ruth Worth Collection, Personal Documents, Leo Baeck Institute, New York (hereafter referred to as Worth LBI). [This is a vaccination form, date unclear – see Image SDC10058]

2. Stammbuch: Der Familie Wertheimer, Personal Documents, Worth LBI, [Images SDC 10037-42, this is an official family tree or album, it lists births and deaths with official stamps. The only death listed is that of Ruth’s father. The only other family members mentioned is Ruth’s mother Elli (Ellen) Bendix]

3. Draft of Notarized Letter from Elly Rosenfeld concerning the Corset Business in Halberstadt, 20 February 1957, Personal Documents, Worth LBI images SDC10062-3–letter from Ellen Rosenfeld born Bendix 23 August 1893. This document later appears in compensation requests to the West German government. Ruth’s mother mentions she is ½ younger than her sister Johanna Kratz (b. Bendix). They grew up together and attended the same schools. Their parents owned the “Frau Marianne Bendix” company, a well-known corset specialty business in Halberstad, which was the only corset specialty company in the area for approximately 20 years. In total there were five shops which the mother had opened in Halberstadt, in Wernigarode, Quedlinburg, Aschersleben, and Bernburg. The company mass produced high quality items (she mentions other undergarments) and also specialized in washing and repairing corsets. Their clientele were from the affluent areas of the city and rural districts. (Her husband’s four sisters helped manage the businesses). Her sister Frau Kratz took over the Halberstadt store from their mother in 1917. Claims the store run by her sister had an annual income of 6,000 Reichmarks a year. Mentions how the family was well known in the area, etc. The mother apparently opened a number of shops in the vicinity. Her husband’s four sisters helped manage the businesses. Mrs. Rosenfeld goes on to mention that the rise of Anti-Semitism in the late 1920s lead to a financial downturn for the sister’s store. Elly Rosenfeld claims that an individual made a libelous/false claim against her sister which eventually lead to the sister’s gallbladder surgery in 1929. The operation apparently did not go well and the two sisters were forced to sell the store. Elly Rosenfeld claims the sister still suffers from pain as a result.

4. Ruth Worth, Response to Ad in Aufbau, March 20, 1980, Personal Documents, Worth LBI [Image SDC 10166- Ruth is requesting that an agency look into possible social security benefits as she worked for an unkown company for a few weeks in 1933. This a response to an ad placed in the Aufbau, a newspaper? Her address is listed as 230 East 61st Street at this point.

5. Stammbuch: Der Familie Wertheimer, Personal Documents, Worth LBI [images SDC 10037-42, this is an official family tree or album, it lists births and deaths with official stamps. The only death listed is that of Ruth’s father. The only other family members mentioned is Ruth’s mother Elli Bendix]

6. Bertha Thilescher, Eidesstattliche Erklaerung, 20 November 1959, Restitution and Legacy Claims, Worth LBI [This is a testimonial letter for Ruth’s compensation claims-image SDC 10188].

7. Edith Margot Certe, Eidesstattliche Versicherung, Restitution and Legacy Claims, Worth LBI. [no date] [My image SDC 10161] The title could be translated “Sworn Testimony/Statement” This is a notarized letter from Edith Margot Certe (nee. Alexander, b. May 31, 1916). Edith apparently fled Nazi Germany in 1935 and resettled in Victoria Australia. According to the letter Edith was Ruth’s best friend in Berlin where they attended the Fuerstein-Bismarck School together in 1935. She describes how Ruth had attended an earlier trade school, the Rackow Handelsschule beginning in the Spring of 1932, but had to leave due to the Anti-Semitism of her teachers and classmates. Ruth had hoped to finish the two-year program and gain a senior position in the field of industry or commerce, but could not continue with her studies due to persecution.

8. Ruth Worth, Betrifft: Entschaedigungesache, Restitution and Legacy Claims, Worth LBI, [no date] [This is a testimonial letter attached to other forms seeking compensation explaining the various documents attached.]

9. Bertha Thilescher, Eidesstattliche Erklaerung, 20 November 1959, Restitution and Legacy Claims, Worth LBI. German [This is a testimonial letter for Ruth’s compensation claims]

10. Ruth Worth, Betrifft: Entschaedigungesache, Restitution and Legacy Claims, Worth LBI [Image SDC 10179] [This is a letter attached to other forms seeking compensation. It explains the various documents attached]

11. Deutches Reich Reisepass, Personal Documents, Worth LBI [passport /Image SDC1050] Note Kirstallnacht factor here – certainly of interest. In 1941 she apparently left France for USA. There is also a stamp from United Kingdom in November 1938 – not clear if she actually traveled to Britain.

12. Nelly to Ellen Rosenfeld, 12 December 1940, Personal Correspondence, Worth LBI,. German. [have photocopy and translation]

13. William Bendix to Ellie and Ruth Rosenfeld, 24 December 1940, New York, Personal Correspondence, Worth LBI, German. [Images SDC 100135-100136-100137] [THIS IS VERY INTERESTING] The letter concerns Ruth and her Mother’s attempt to leave France for the United States [the U.S. isn’t specifically mentioned]. William Bendix is writing to Ruth and her mother explaining the application procedures for the committee. He goes on to say that nothing can be done until he hears further word from the “committee” and that they should work on the Affidavit/s. [I’m not clear if they need to provide individual documents or work on one for the whole family] He instructs them to provide a good description of their “moral” and “financial” status. [Roosevelt had only approved a certain number of emergency visas-it is likely that the émigré’s had to prove that they could survive on their own in the U.S.-tough financial times, critics of such rescue organizations feared that political subversives and job competitors would flood the U.S]. [This particularly interesting as this organization mainly helped noted intellectuals, etc.] The author is less concerned about describing his moral status as he is his financial – claiming to be essential broke. The issue of money is a consistent theme in their exchanges and appears to cause a great deal of tension.

William Bendix mentions that he and his wife received word concerning the grandparents. He is happy that the grandfather is physically healthy but is concerned about his deteriorating mental condition. He goes on to say that this complicates matters considerably (he won’t be able to write more than two words, etc.). He states he received Ruth and Elli’s letters through the Red Cross. He also voices concern over an ongoing conflict between the grandparents and “The Aunts.” He says none of them include the words “tolerance, insight, and generous” in their vocabulary. The writer describes their nerves as agitated and hopes that they (grandparents and aunts) “will meet the necessary conditions.” William Bendix mentions that he and his wife are working and receiving a typical starting-salary for a 25 year old. He mentions they are going to school and can afford their rent and eat modestly. He mentions that his wife Paula makes her own clothes and “everything else will have to be put off for later years.” William claims they would not be able to “endure this life if their future did not look so rosy.” He mentions that they hope to have their state diploma in 9 months and things will begin to head uphill [things will start looking up] – mentions that “Edith Dretel” hasn’t written. Writer mentions that they hope that in the new year they will be able to pick up all three of them (Ruth, Elsie and ?) from a ship – goes on to tell Ruth and Elsie that they have done enough for “Hermann” who is apparently involved in helping Ruth and Elsie with their affidavits, and acting as a sort of go-between for Ruth’s family and William (Herman is actually already in the United State.] There is an additional postscript scribbled on the typed sheet from Paula to Ruth and Elsie, but I can’t make it out. Note for some background on Varian Fry’s emergency committee see http://www.holocaust-trc.org/fry.htm

14. Dr. Mueller to William Bendix, 1941, Restitution and Legacy Claims, Worth LBI. German.[Images: SDC 10138 and 10140-This is a letter from the attorney Dr. Mueller to William Bendix concerning the estate of the Music teacher Bruno “Israel” Bendix and his Wife Marianne “Sara” Bendix, “According to the instruction of the district court, curatorship remains with the government of Magdeburg. According to the district court’s ruling of May 16, 1941 -4.VI. 139/41 Marianne Sara Bendix inherits the estate, followed by the son William Bendix (a businessman living in New York). The Estate consist of the following “

1. Cash = RM 11, 239.09 in the local branch of the Deutsche Bank in Halberstadt.

2. Securities [Gold mortgage bonds, municipal bonds, at an annual interest of 4.5% = 8, 610.00”

15. Ruth Worth, Excerpt of Postcard to Aunt Else, 15 March 1941, Personal Correspondence, Worth LBI, German. [This is part of a serious of excerpts of postcards retyped on two sheets of paper in the collection; see Images SDC 10077/10078. In these excerpts Ruth writes about the death of her grandparents to various relatives. In this one, she mentions that the doctor was surprised at how quickly her grandfather (Opa) had passed on. She goes on to discuss that her grandmother was in a bad way (distraught/anxious). Apparently they died five days apart. Excerpt of Letter from Ruth Worth to Rosa Mayor, 16 March 1941, Personal Correspondence, Worth LBI, German. [Images SDC 10077/10078]: Excerpt of Letter from Ruth Worth to Aunt Roachen, 21 April 194, Personal Correspondence, Worth LBI, German. [Letter to Aunt Roachen (?) can’t make out the name here. Ruth mentions correspondence with other relatives, primarily Aunts and Uncles. She mentions who is and is not in touch.]Ruth Worth, Postcard to Aunt Else, 4 March 1941, Personal Correspondence, Worth LBI. [The letter was received 26 April 1941]. Ruth Worth, Excerpt of Postcard to Aunt Else, 15 March 1941, Personal Correspondence, Worth LBI, German. [Received on 7 April 1941-Odd, the second postcard apparently arrived before the first one. Partial Translation -“My dear, you certainly will not have received the news that grandpa is gone from us forever. Now Grandma on March 9th has also gone to her final rest. We cannot grasp that we are now alone. What we have to go through everything in the last time and now dissolve the budget, yet this makes a lot of work. It has been ordered, since only the children inherit. But about this, you still get news and the will is to be opened, Ruth Worth, Excerpt of Letter to Aunt Else, 23 March 1941, Personal Correspondence, Worth LBI, German. [Letter received on 15 April 1941-Image SDC10079. More discussion about the grandfather and how upset she is that he could not be with all his children and grandchildren when he died].Ruth Worth, Excerpt of Letter to Aunt Else, 7 April 1941, Personal Correspondence, Worth LBI, German. [Once again she is trying to contact her Aunt Else to inform her that her parents (Ruth’s grandparents) are dead. She reiterates the point that the grandmother passed away only 5 days after the grandfather (grandfather – March 4 and grandmother March 9). She also mentions sleeping outdoors the last few nights as it is more peaceful].

16. William Bendix, Letter to Ellie and Ruth, 24 December 1940, Personal Correspondence, Worth LBI, German. [William is writing from New York]

17. Ellen Rosenfeld and Ruth Worth, Letter to William Bendix , 1 July 1941, Personal Correspondence, Worth LBI, German. [Image SDC 10183--[Note the original letter appears to have been torn into strips and reposted onto a sheet of paper. There are also references to earlier correspondence (May 23, 1941, etc). That does not appear to be in the files].

18. Betrifft: Entschaedigungesache [no date], Restitution and Legacy Claims, Worth LBI. German.

[This is a letter attached to other forms seeking compensation and explaining the various documents attached].

19. Betrifft: Entschaedigungesache Ruth Worth, [no date], Restitution and Legacy Claims, Worth LBI. German. [Image SDC 10179-see above]

20. Sterbeurkunde April 9, 1956, Personal Documents, Worth LBI, German. [Image SDC 10056 this is a type of death certificate for the film producer Israel Rosenfeld born 23 January 1890 (Ellen Rosenfeld’s second husband).

21. Betrifft: Entschaedigungesache Ruth Worth, [no date], Restitution and Legacy Claims, Worth LBI. German. [Image SDC 10179-see above]

22. Betrifft: Entschaedigungesache Ruth Worth, [no date], Restitution and Legacy Claims, Worth LBI. German. [Image SDC 10179-see above]

23. Letter to Mrs. Ellen Rosenfeld-Roberts from the U.S. Justice Department, Restitution and Legacy Claims, Worth LBI, English. [Date unclear here – July 1, 1960].

24. Letter to Peter [Ruth] Concerning Suicide, 17 December 1963, Personal Correspondence, Worth LBI, English [in English-[image SDC10101-SDC 10103. The letter opens with “Peter my darling” What appears to be a suicide note from 17 December 1963. I am unable to decipher the signature, but it appears to be a suicide note from a very close friend who had taken pills. She would have preferred to use gas, but was worried that her plan would be discovered if she went into a coma and “made some noise” Mentions having her old cat “put to sleep” rather than being sent off to kennels. Describes her life as “barren and loveless” since the loss of “L.G.” She refers to L.G. as a “him.”

25. Christian Clemens to Dr. Feilchenfeld , 1 September 1970, Restitution and Legacy Claims, Worth LBI, German.[Letter between attorneys concerning the inheritance and securities values of the William Bendix (formerly his parents) estate, see image SDC 10142. This appears to be a cover letter for a series of documents concerning the assets/securities of the Bendix estate estimated at DM 1, 315. These claim issues were ongoing into the 1970s. It is written in response to Dr. Felchenfeld’s request letter of 18 December 1970.

26. Werner Feilchenfeld, Letter to William Bendix, 15 April 1975, Restitution and Legacy Claims, Worth LBI, English. [Image: SDC 10172-in English] [There is a similar letter in German covering the same issues-see image SDC 10173]

27. Werner Feilchenfeld, Letter to Ellen Rosenfeld, 30 June 1970, Restitution and Legacy Claims, Worth LBI, [Image SDC10167] [In the letter Ellen Rosenfeld (Ruth’s mother) is informed by her lawyer (same lawyer for William Bendix) that he will be in Berlin and Frankfurt negotiating all his clients cases.

28. Werner Feilchenfeld, Letter to William Bendix, 12 January 1979, Restitution and Legacy Claims, Worth LBI, English.[Image SDC 10169-in English].

29. Bundesversicherungsanstalt fuer Angestellte, Letter to Elli Rosenfeld-Roberts, 23 March 1989., Restitution and Legacy Claims, Worth LBI, German

Bibliography Under Construction

AUTHOR? <TO BE ADDED>"Homosexuals in All Their Diversity". New York Times, October 26,, 1996.

Advance report on "In the Life" PBS, TV broadcast October 27, 1996. "The second [profile] goes to Cherry Grove, a largely homosexual community on Fire Island, L.I., to interview Peter Worth, a lesbian who fled Nazi Germany in the 1930's and has been spending as much time as possible on Fire Island since 1946. Now in her 80's, she says simply: 'I like to be surrounded by my own kind. I lived what I thought was a normal life. Credits: Charles Dominic Ignacio, executive in charge of production; Katherine Linton, senior producer; Desireena Almoradie, associate producer; Barbara Raab, writer; Janet Baus and Trish Cosgrove, segment producers; Micky Small, production manager; created by John Scagliotti. Produced by In the Life Media Inc., Ben Prayz, executive director; John Catania, director of communications; Gary Sharfman, membership director; Audrey Mei-Yee Tsui, membership coordinator. Presented by Thirteen/WNET. Fred Noriega is the executive in charge of production.

Brophy, Stephen. "It’s what I’ve always done’ Great moments in music." Bay Windows (Boston). November 4, 1999.

Report on ’In the Life,’ the gay and lesbian newsmagazine, airing Nov. 6 in Springfield/ Northampton, on WGBY-TV 57, at 11:30 pm; on Nov. 7 in Boston, on WGBH-TV 2, at midnight; on Nov. 12 in Boston, on WGBX-TV 44, at 10 pm.

"This latest "In the Life" episode culminates in a reprise of a segment aired several years ago, in which an 81-year-old lesbian named Peter Worth talked with host Katherine Linton about her young life in Germany and Paris, and how she came to America to escape the Nazis and found her paradise on Fire Island. It happened that the summer of her interview, 1996, was the 50th anniversary of her first visit to the famed gay resort, and she had been back every year since. Sadly she died soon after the segment was aired, but her spirit still lives in the irrepressible humor of her eyes, captured for posterity by the "In the Life" video cameras."

City University of New York. Archive? Employee information?

City University of New York. Board of Higher Education Minutes of Proceedings, June 18, 1945, p. 219. [No school name seems to be listed.] Off. of Dean, Sch. of Tech. CUNY policy document lists Ruth Worth's compensation and employment dates.

French resistance to Nazis. Any data on Worth's involvement with?

Fry, Varian. "Emergency Committee". Any files listing Ruth Worth and or her mother?

Hollibaugh, Amber. Interviewed by Jonathan Ned Katz, date?.

Hunter College Archives? Worth worked as secretary as Hunter College for many years. Informant Amber Hollibaugh.

"In the Life". 6 minute segment of interview with Ruth Peter Worth. Original interview tapes also available. Michelle Kristel is contact at In the Life. Michelle says original interview is “riveting.” Major source.

In the Life. "My Fair Ladies". Narrated by Cherry Jones. May 2005.

Includes: "Peter Worth. Sometimes the most prolific form of activism is simply living. Having survived Nazi Germany and a Parisian jail, Peter Worth embodied this spirit. At the time of our interview, Peter was eighty-one and, despite her age, her youth shined eternal." Accessed October 16, 2011 from http://www.inthelifetv.org/html/episodes/28.html In the Life: Episode Guide: 107. "My Fair Ladies

Women in the LGBT community; Peter Worth; novelist Ann Bannon; poet Audre Lorde; filmmaker Deborah Dickson. May 3, 2005; accessed October 16, 2011 from http://tv.msn.com/tv/series-episodes/in-the-life/?sb=0&si=101

Katz, Jonathan Ned. Worth, Ruth (Peter). Research File. Includes details not published here.

Lambda Legal Defense & Education Fund. Lambda Update 1998. "Donor Profile: Peter Worth", page <????>.

Includes photo of "Peter Worth in Berlin, 1934. Collection of Esther Newton. Sadly, Worth passed away in 1996. But her spirit lives on with a significant bequest to Lambda, and to SAGE: Senior Action in a Gay Environment."

Newton, Esther. Audio tape interviews with Worth digitized and same interviews typed and scanned. Typed, scanned versions are in NYC. Major source. Copy of audio interviews in Katz Collection.

Newton, Esther. Cherry Grove, Fire Island: Sixty Years in America's First Gay and Lesbian Town Mentions Ruth Peter Worth numbers of times.<Details to be added>

Newton, Esther. "'Dick(less) Tracy' and the Homecoming Queen: Lesbian Power and Representation in Gay-Male Cherry Grove". In Lewin, Ellen, ed. Inventing Lesbian Cultures in America. Boston: Beacon Press Books, December 31, 1996 (FN#39 References to Peter Worth: pp. 227-228.).

Note 39: "Peter Worth, nearing eighty, was approached by one of Joan's lesbian supporters to bless Joan as Homecoming Queen at the tea, presumably to symbolize continuity between the lesbian generations. Peter declined, explaining it was too drafty at Cherry's and that she's not a 'public person'". I reminded her that Kay, the grandest of all Grove 'lady' lesbians, 'would have loved to do it!'" Peter agreed. 'Kay was the one person who could have done it, but she's no longer with us'". Research provided by Ron J. Van Cleef. Google Books accessed October 16, 2011 from: http://books.google.com/books?id=h3nyAkga8J4C&pg=PA227&lpg=PA227&dq=%22Peter+Worth%22+lesbian&source=bl&ots=3PYv065Irr&sig=5z7yBuvP3p-aSIyEUdhm8iajRgI&hl=en&ei=Pv2aTovIIuOqsQLIqeHcBA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CB4Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=%22Peter%20Worth%22&f=false

Newton, Esther. The "Fun Gay Ladies": Lesbians in Cherry Grove, 1936-1960". In Brett Beemyn, ed. Creating a Place for Ourselves: Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Community Histories (PLACE OF PUB? PUBLISHER? DATE OF PUB?), pages 145-???.

"This essay is dedicated to Peter Worth." Worth cited and quoted on pages 149, 151, 152, 155, 159, 162. Peter Worth, Interview by author, August 29, 1986. Note 21, page 162: "Peter, who is slight and feminine, took her first name (which she used in gay contexts but not at work) to signify that she was gay; for the same reason, as a young woman, she wore a tie." Note 29, page 162: "Peter Worth felt that the putative sanctity of the older women's relationships was overblown." Google Books accessed October 16, 2010 from: http://books.google.com/books?id=j2VVa8NVerIC&pg=PA162&lpg=PA162&dq=%22Peter+Worth%22+lesbian&source=bl&ots=8SzOzntiQ7&sig=YHLSTNb4Ktt08dV-i8lXa6jhp28&hl=en&ei=te-aTpI_6qyxAqfF3ekE&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CCIQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=%22Peter%20Worth%22&f=false

Newton, Esther. Margaret Mead Made Me Gay: Personal Essays, Public Ideas. Peter Worth cited or quoted on pages 60, 274, 268.

Page 60: "Pater Worth recalled how, at the end of the number, Mary Ronin, 'who had been sitting very primly through the whole thing suddenly opened her legs and she had to cymbals there she clashed together. It brought the house down!' (interview with author)."

Page 268: "One of my informants, Peter Worth, was shocked by reading here the word 'informant' in reference to herself and her friends. I explained that in all my published work on Cherry Grove I intended to use the word 'narrator' for those whom I had interviewed, but in this essay, I was addressing an anthropological audience for whom the historical importance of the word informant recommended its use."

Note 31, page 274: "Peter Worth, nearing eighty, was approached by one of Joan's lesbian supporters to bless Joan as Homecoming Queen at the tea, presumable to symbolize continuity between the lesbian generations. Peter declined, explaining it was too drafty at Cherry's and that she's not a 'public person'". I reminded her that Kay, the grandest of all Grove 'lady' lesbians, 'would have loved to do it!'" Peter agreed. 'Kay was the one person who could have done it, but she's no longer with us'". Google Books, accessed October 16, 2011 from: http://books.google.com/books?id=z5Wh7Qv0PW0C&pg=PA288&lpg=PA288&dq=%22Peter+Worth%22+lesbian&source=bl&ots=ZgncSWsz1m&sig=oNfs8ZfzHQ7bHsaTxVxhfUAM3aw&hl=en&ei=te-aTpI_6qyxAqfF3ekE&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CCUQ6AEwAg#v=snippet&q=%22Peter%20Worth%22&f=false

Newton, Esther. "My Best Informant's Dress: The Erotic Equation in Fieldwork," pp. 212-35 in Ellen Lewin and William L. Leap, eds., Out in the Field: Reflections of Lesbian and Gay Anthropolgists.

References to Peter Worth: pages ???

Newton, Esther. "My Best Informant's Dress: The Erotic Equation in Fieldwork," pp. 212-35 in Ellen Lewin, ed., Feminist Anthroplogy.

References to Peter Worth: pages ???

Powers, Ed. Lawyer for Worth. See Katz' Worth Research File.

SAGE Archive? Any material on Worth? Other organization she left money to? LAMBDA?

Seeley, Harold. Cherry Grove Archivist. See Katz File.

Social Security Death Index. Shows that Worth, born 10 Ap 1915, died in NYC 10028 on Feb 7 1997. Birth date is confirmed by documents in Baeck Institute.

U.S. Naturalization Record Indexes, 1791-1992 (Indexed in World Archives Project). Name: Ruth Peter Worth Court District: New York.

Source Citation: National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Washington, D.C.; Index, 1917-1950. Declarations of Intention, U.S. District Court, Southern Dist. of New York, M1675; Microfilm Serial: M1675; Microfilm Roll: 110.

Source Information: Ancestry.com. U.S. Naturalization Record Indexes, 1791-1992 (Indexed in World Archives Project) [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. This collection was indexed by Ancestry World Archives Project contributors.... Accessed on October 16, 2011 from http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&db=USnatindex_awap&rank=1&new=1&MSAV=0&msT=1&gss=angs-d&gsfn=Ruth+Peter&gsln=Worth&uidh=t91&pcat=40&fh=0&h=3118505&recoff=5+6+7

Note by Jonathan Ned Katz, October 16, 2011. It was a remarkable act of assertion of a lesbian identity for Worth to list her name on her application for U.S. citizenship as "Ruth Peter Worth".

Van Cleef, Ron. Translations for Jonathan Ned Katz of materials in the Leo Baeck Institution. See Katz' Worth Research File.

In 2009 James Steakley put Jonathan Ned Katz in touch, via email, with Ron Van Cleef, and Van Cleef volunteered to study and translate some of the material in German in the Worth Papers, in the Baeck Institute (see below). Emails between Katz and Van Cleef, starting October 8, 2009. Van Cleef to Katz sending Chronology of Worth's life: November 20, 2009.

Worth, Ruth Peter. Papers and photos. Leo Baeck Institute, New York City. See Katz’s notes on contents.

PHOTOS OF WORTH

One particularly good photo is by Ann Meredith, See Katz's Worth.

Hunter ID photo card

Passport photo.

Photo on French “avidavit” 1941 with name Ruth Karoline Wertheimer.

Most of the photos were in two files, not in any order.

Greeting cards that have Peter Cottontail on them and notes from "Auntie" Peter to young relatives. (Information from Ron Van Cleef, email to Katz of November 20, 2009.

PAPERS FOLDER 1

U.S. Naturalization paper in name of Ruth Peter Worth, Jan 13, 1947, at 617 W. 143 Str.

Avis De Liberation De Camp D’Internement Du Gurs, 21 June 1940

PAPERS FOLDER 2

Meredith Photo in here.

See also: