Glikl of Hameln: The Life of an Early Modern Jewish Woman

Resource Kit by
Julie Rezmovic-Tonti, Jessica Kirzane

Module Content

Introduction

Introduction

The memoirs of Glikl of Hameln (1646-1724) offer a detailed portrait of the life of an affluent Jewish woman in seventeenth century Europe. A mother of fourteen children, twelve of whom survived to adulthood, Glikl was an active partner in her husband’s business in addition to being in charge of running her family’s domestic concerns. After her first husband’s death in 1689, Glikl continued to manage her family’s business affairs. She began writing her memoirs in 1691, and the work, written in Yiddish, serves as an ethical will as well as a chronicle of her experiences and events that occurred in the Jewish community of Germany and beyond. Through an examination of excerpts from Glikl’s memoirs and other related resources, this kit aims to provide a picture of Jewish women’s lives in Europe in the seventeenth century, focusing particularly on the key themes of family life, religious life, communal Jewish structure, motherhood, and economics.