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Glikl: Memoirs 1691-1719
“My dear children, I write this for you in case your dear children or grandchildren come to you one of these days, knowing nothing of their family. For this reason I have set this down for you here in brief, so that you might know what kind of people you come from.”
These words from the memoirs Glikl bas Leib wrote in Yiddish between 1691 and 1719 shed light on the life of a devout and worldly woman. Writing initially to seek solace in the long nights of her widowhood, Glikl continued to record the joys and tribulations of her family and community in an account unique for its impressive literary talents and strong invocation of self. Through intensely personal recollections, Glikl weaves stories and traditional tales that express her thoughts and beliefs. While influenced by popular Yiddish moral literature, Glikl’s frequent use of first person and the significance she assigns her own life experience set the work apart. Informed by fidelity to the original Yiddish text, this authoritative new translation is fully annotated to explicate Glikl’s life and times, offering readers a rich context for appreciating this classic work.
These words from the memoirs Glikl bas Leib wrote in Yiddish between 1691 and 1719 shed light on the life of a devout and worldly woman. Writing initially to seek solace in the long nights of her widowhood, Glikl continued to record the joys and tribulations of her family and community in an account unique for its impressive literary talents and strong invocation of self. Through intensely personal recollections, Glikl weaves stories and traditional tales that express her thoughts and beliefs. While influenced by popular Yiddish moral literature, Glikl’s frequent use of first person and the significance she assigns her own life experience set the work apart. Informed by fidelity to the original Yiddish text, this authoritative new translation is fully annotated to explicate Glikl’s life and times, offering readers a rich context for appreciating this classic work.
375 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1719
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 78 reviews
March 20, 2023
I decided to read “Memoirs of Glückel of Hameln” by Glückel of Hameln after hearing about her on YouTube. I’m glad that I purchased this book.
Glückel‘s memoirs, written originally as 7 books so that her children would know and understand who their family was, is a fascinating piece of history. Glückel was a Jewish woman who lived during the 1600s in what is now known as Germany. Her writing provides tremendous and valuable information on the lives of Jewish women during that era in Europe.
Of particular importance, the memoirs highlight (at least for me) how the Nuremberg Laws of the 1930s were related to Germany’s (and indeed, the rest of Europe’s) longstanding antisemitism. Because of her Jewish ethnicity and religion, Glückel was not a citizen, and she, along with the rest of the community, were continuously at peril. This book also reveals how Jewish people were only allowed to work in certain trades and professions and how their very freedom was dependent upon the whims of gentiles.
What I really appreciate about Glückel’s memoirs is her candidness. When speaking about other people—both Jews and gentiles—she’s open and honest. Her writing reveals in plain terms that there are good gentiles, just as there are good Jews; that there are horrible gentiles, just as there are horrible Jews; that regardless of religion or ethnicity, people are just people.
These memoirs reveal an important part of both European and Jewish history. It’s an easy read and Glückel is a bright and engaging writer. I recommend this book to anyone and everyone and particularly those who are interested in how a minority in 1600s Germany thrived and survived.
Glückel‘s memoirs, written originally as 7 books so that her children would know and understand who their family was, is a fascinating piece of history. Glückel was a Jewish woman who lived during the 1600s in what is now known as Germany. Her writing provides tremendous and valuable information on the lives of Jewish women during that era in Europe.
Of particular importance, the memoirs highlight (at least for me) how the Nuremberg Laws of the 1930s were related to Germany’s (and indeed, the rest of Europe’s) longstanding antisemitism. Because of her Jewish ethnicity and religion, Glückel was not a citizen, and she, along with the rest of the community, were continuously at peril. This book also reveals how Jewish people were only allowed to work in certain trades and professions and how their very freedom was dependent upon the whims of gentiles.
What I really appreciate about Glückel’s memoirs is her candidness. When speaking about other people—both Jews and gentiles—she’s open and honest. Her writing reveals in plain terms that there are good gentiles, just as there are good Jews; that there are horrible gentiles, just as there are horrible Jews; that regardless of religion or ethnicity, people are just people.
These memoirs reveal an important part of both European and Jewish history. It’s an easy read and Glückel is a bright and engaging writer. I recommend this book to anyone and everyone and particularly those who are interested in how a minority in 1600s Germany thrived and survived.
February 9, 2014
This book was surprisingly fun for what could easily have been a dry and repetitive diary.
There certainly were still places where it was dull and repetitive, but in actuality it was often quite spry, and surprisingly modern for a book written in 1690.
The things that were perhaps most notable to me, in no specific order of importance:
-As previously mentioned, the book's narrators and tone are surprisingly "modern". A person living in the 21st century - at least one brought up Orthodox - would have no trouble relating to a woman who, despite being married at twelve, was educated, seemed to coexist mostly in equal partnership with her husband, and deal with men and the world by herself and face-to-face.
-Despite that, it's rather staggering how commercial her outlook could be. Every person in the book is described in terms of how large a fortune they possessed, and Gluckel's almost exclusive measure of happiness and unhappiness was financial success or ruin. We hardly ever heard a single word about the human quality of her and her daughters' marriages - except that her first one was a happy one - is whether they were financially stable.
-The references are all the same. Again, at least if you were raised Orthodox, you know exactly what she is talking about, alluding to, or referencing. There is a nice glossary provided at the end of the book for people who may not have a trove of Jewish knowledge at their fingertips, but I am glad to say that I referred to it only three times, to look up specific minor historical events. While gratifying, it's still surprising, because one would expect the reference map to change somewhat in four-hundred years. It has, but not nearly as much as one would think.
-It's rather amazing with what utterly casual attitude the narrator treats anti-semitism and anti-semitic decrees. "So next year all Jews were evicted from the city, but that's normal, and not much to tell on that score. let me tell you about my pearl enterprise, which is a lot more interesting." Obviously, she supports the maxim that human beings can get used to everything, including to spending their lives hanging upside down, and to being regularly banished from their cities at random intervals. Nothing to see here, move along.
I suppose this book is not for everyone, it doesn't have much in the way of plot, obviously, being a diary, or a memoir, and really doesn't tell much in the way of story. It's not full of gripping adventures, but it is no doubt an important document in the study of Jewish history, or history of women, and for anyone interested in these subjects would be a quick and entertaining read.
There certainly were still places where it was dull and repetitive, but in actuality it was often quite spry, and surprisingly modern for a book written in 1690.
The things that were perhaps most notable to me, in no specific order of importance:
-As previously mentioned, the book's narrators and tone are surprisingly "modern". A person living in the 21st century - at least one brought up Orthodox - would have no trouble relating to a woman who, despite being married at twelve, was educated, seemed to coexist mostly in equal partnership with her husband, and deal with men and the world by herself and face-to-face.
-Despite that, it's rather staggering how commercial her outlook could be. Every person in the book is described in terms of how large a fortune they possessed, and Gluckel's almost exclusive measure of happiness and unhappiness was financial success or ruin. We hardly ever heard a single word about the human quality of her and her daughters' marriages - except that her first one was a happy one - is whether they were financially stable.
-The references are all the same. Again, at least if you were raised Orthodox, you know exactly what she is talking about, alluding to, or referencing. There is a nice glossary provided at the end of the book for people who may not have a trove of Jewish knowledge at their fingertips, but I am glad to say that I referred to it only three times, to look up specific minor historical events. While gratifying, it's still surprising, because one would expect the reference map to change somewhat in four-hundred years. It has, but not nearly as much as one would think.
-It's rather amazing with what utterly casual attitude the narrator treats anti-semitism and anti-semitic decrees. "So next year all Jews were evicted from the city, but that's normal, and not much to tell on that score. let me tell you about my pearl enterprise, which is a lot more interesting." Obviously, she supports the maxim that human beings can get used to everything, including to spending their lives hanging upside down, and to being regularly banished from their cities at random intervals. Nothing to see here, move along.
I suppose this book is not for everyone, it doesn't have much in the way of plot, obviously, being a diary, or a memoir, and really doesn't tell much in the way of story. It's not full of gripping adventures, but it is no doubt an important document in the study of Jewish history, or history of women, and for anyone interested in these subjects would be a quick and entertaining read.
December 8, 2015
http://www.mytwostotinki.com/?p=2186
Glückel of Hameln (1645-1724) was a remarkable woman. Not only could she read and write - in a time when most women had no formal education at all -, she also proved to be an energetic business woman after the early death of her first husband. That involved also extensive traveling in a time when this was difficult and dangerous. And on top of it the mother of fourteen children wrote the first autobiography of a woman in Germany.
Glückel's memoirs were not written with the intention of a publication. They were meant as a distraction after her beloved husband's passing and also with the idea to let her twelve surviving children (two more children had died early) and countless grandchildren know where they came from. There is also a strong educative element in her writing: look what happened to us and our friends, family and neighbors and learn from it! And learn to understand that you need to trust in God, but you need to be also wise in your own decisions.
As the name indicates, Glückel was born in Hameln, and got engaged at the age of 12, as was the habit at that time, to a boy called Chajm to whom she was married two years later. The young couple set shop in Hamburg, lived first with Chajm's parents before they could afford their own small home.
Child after child was born while Chajm became a trader in gold, pearls and jewelery with a good hand for business. Although the marriage was arranged at an age that seems unsupportable from the point of view of today and was concluded in a rather business-like manner, Glückel and her husband seem to have been a good match. She speaks with the greatest expressions of respect and love of her husband, who seems to have been always attentive and respectful toward her and her family and the mutual children. His temper was obviously more on the soft side and as much as he enjoyed his trade and the money he made with it, the well-being of his family seems to have been his only real concern.
When he died at the age of 44, it must have been a catastrophe for his widow who was from one moment to the next alone and with very little funds but had to support many children who were still living with her at that time. But somehow she made it: against all odds, she keeps the business running, travels to fairs and business partners in Germany and Holland. But it came at a price: we can feel from her writing that at times she must have been completely worn out. When an offer from a rich banker from Metz to marry him arrives, she gives in, hoping that in her old age she will have a comfortable home after so many hardships. But her second husband goes bankrupt, she loses all her savings and has to live in her last years, again widowed with one of her children.
This is a remarkable book, not only because it is the first autobiography written by a woman from Germany. Also Glückel's life was everything than dull and average, although she must have been a modest person that frequently blamed herself for her own mistakes; once she writes about a successful business transaction she never forgets to thank God or to mention the part that other people had in this success.
Since the book was meant for her family members, she refrains from mentioning the names of some persons that behaved badly towards her or her first husband when these persons were still alive at the time she wrote the autobiography. On the other hand she describes her emotions very openly when something bad happened to her or someone from the family. As a reader, I could not help but to admire her for her persistence when it came to do the best for her family. She comes across as a strong, very modest woman with an incredible energy and family sense.
The book is touching in itself as the story of a woman in very hard times. But it offers also a lot of insights in the everyday life of people in Glückel's days, and especially in the life of the Jews.
Jews were not people with equal rights at that time and that included in most places that they had to pay Leibzoll, a kind of customs duty for themselves when entering a town, a deeply discriminatory act only applied in relation to the Jewish part of the population. Since Germany was divided in more than 2000 independent territories, traveling was for Jews extremely difficult. Additionally there were big differences in the living conditions of the Jews depending on the place where they lived.
In Altona, now a suburb of Hamburg, then an independent town that belonged to Denmark, the situation was very satisfactory for the Jews. The Danish King was known for his liberal opinions and was considered a friend of the Jews.
In neighboring Hamburg the situation was different: the Senate, the representative government body of the rich traders and bankers was rather friendly to the Jews; the Burgerschaft, the lower house of the Hamburg parliament on the contrary made life for the Jews very difficult by introducing rules that made it almost impossible for Jews to live in Hamburg. (Exempted from these harsh rules were the Portuguese Jews, descendants of Jews from Portugal who had settled in Hamburg after the reconquista; the Teixeiras, the de Castros and other Sephardic families were already considered as "real" Hamburgers and held influential positions in Hamburg; a certain rift between the Sephardic and the Ashkenazy Jews is clearly visible from Glückel's writing. Although they shared the same belief, there seems to have been very little contact between these two groups. The sophisticated Sephards seem to have thought not too highly of their Ashkenazy brethren.)
Even worse was the situation in places like Leipzig, an important trading place that most Jewish traders visited twice a year - but Leipzig had for a reason the reputation of being a particularly anti-Semitic town that exposed Jews regularly to harsh treatment and extortion.
It may be rather strange for us readers today that Glückel is always so concerned about money. There is not a single page and for sure not a single characterization of a person that forgets to mention the exact amount of money someone's fortune is worth.
To marry off her children to a good, i.e. a wealthy family, is the major concern for her and her husband. The wedding "market" was small and match makers seem to have been an extremely important institution at that time. Marriage was the chance for upward social mobility and that was the main concern for parents at that time. In lucky cases - like obviously in Glückel's first marriage - love developed once the complete strangers were married and got to know each other. But it seems to be the exception, not the rule at Glückel's time.
This - for us - obsession with money has of course a reason: money provided a limited protection for the fragile existence of the Jews at that time. It was important not in itself, but as a means to buy favours, ensure loyalties, pay off extortionist governments, assure a comparatively elevated social status in the Jewish community. As a reader we never get the intention that Glückel or her husband were gready people; if necessary, they part easy with their money. But it wouldn't have been reasonable in their position with so many children not to permanently think about their pecuniary situation.
Glückel's autobiography also reflects political events, for example several wars which affected the life of the family or of friends and business partners. A particularly happy moment is the participation of the Prussian Crown Prince as a guest at the wedding of one of her children. I found it also extremely interesting to read about how much the Jews in Germany were affected by the appearance of the "false messiah" Sabbatai Zevi who was Glückel's contemporary, although he lived far away, in the Ottoman Empire.
Another aspect of Glückel's writing that I find fascinating are her descriptions of her or her husband's traveling. As already mentioned, traveling was no fun, especially for Jews. And there were pirates, robbers, or marauding soldiers all over the place. (One of the rare funny moments in the autobiography is also related to a travel experience; it involves a good servant of Glückel who got a drinking problem - but I will not give away the story here.) Hamburg saw several pandemics at Glückel's time, most notoriously the plague which spread a fear of visitors from Hamburg all over Germany for many years, a fear for which Glückel gives us readers also a very disturbing example in her autobiography.
The book is also rich in descriptions of Jewish life, the importance of community life and of celebrating the big feasts together. All in all this book was an interesting and touching reading experience, and I enjoyed it thoroughly.
A word about the manuscript: Glückel wrote the manuscript in Hebrew script and in Western Yiddish language. Western Yiddish is even closer to Standard German than its Eastern Yiddish variation. The original text reads like an archaic German with plenty of Hebrew loan words; grammar, syntax and about 90% of the vocabulary are German.
The original manuscript was passing within the family from generation to generation; the first publication was issued in 1896 in Yiddish; Bertha Pappenheim, a descendant of Glückel - readers of the book Studies on Hysteria by Josef Breuer and Sigmund Freud know her as Anna O., one of the most famous case studies in the history of psychoanalysis - , translated the book 1910 in German for a non-public edition that was circulated in the family; in 1913 a second German edition followed, this time for a general audience. Since that time also translations in other languages (also two times in English) have been published.
A truly fascinating autobiography!
Glückel of Hameln (1645-1724) was a remarkable woman. Not only could she read and write - in a time when most women had no formal education at all -, she also proved to be an energetic business woman after the early death of her first husband. That involved also extensive traveling in a time when this was difficult and dangerous. And on top of it the mother of fourteen children wrote the first autobiography of a woman in Germany.
Glückel's memoirs were not written with the intention of a publication. They were meant as a distraction after her beloved husband's passing and also with the idea to let her twelve surviving children (two more children had died early) and countless grandchildren know where they came from. There is also a strong educative element in her writing: look what happened to us and our friends, family and neighbors and learn from it! And learn to understand that you need to trust in God, but you need to be also wise in your own decisions.
As the name indicates, Glückel was born in Hameln, and got engaged at the age of 12, as was the habit at that time, to a boy called Chajm to whom she was married two years later. The young couple set shop in Hamburg, lived first with Chajm's parents before they could afford their own small home.
Child after child was born while Chajm became a trader in gold, pearls and jewelery with a good hand for business. Although the marriage was arranged at an age that seems unsupportable from the point of view of today and was concluded in a rather business-like manner, Glückel and her husband seem to have been a good match. She speaks with the greatest expressions of respect and love of her husband, who seems to have been always attentive and respectful toward her and her family and the mutual children. His temper was obviously more on the soft side and as much as he enjoyed his trade and the money he made with it, the well-being of his family seems to have been his only real concern.
When he died at the age of 44, it must have been a catastrophe for his widow who was from one moment to the next alone and with very little funds but had to support many children who were still living with her at that time. But somehow she made it: against all odds, she keeps the business running, travels to fairs and business partners in Germany and Holland. But it came at a price: we can feel from her writing that at times she must have been completely worn out. When an offer from a rich banker from Metz to marry him arrives, she gives in, hoping that in her old age she will have a comfortable home after so many hardships. But her second husband goes bankrupt, she loses all her savings and has to live in her last years, again widowed with one of her children.
This is a remarkable book, not only because it is the first autobiography written by a woman from Germany. Also Glückel's life was everything than dull and average, although she must have been a modest person that frequently blamed herself for her own mistakes; once she writes about a successful business transaction she never forgets to thank God or to mention the part that other people had in this success.
Since the book was meant for her family members, she refrains from mentioning the names of some persons that behaved badly towards her or her first husband when these persons were still alive at the time she wrote the autobiography. On the other hand she describes her emotions very openly when something bad happened to her or someone from the family. As a reader, I could not help but to admire her for her persistence when it came to do the best for her family. She comes across as a strong, very modest woman with an incredible energy and family sense.
The book is touching in itself as the story of a woman in very hard times. But it offers also a lot of insights in the everyday life of people in Glückel's days, and especially in the life of the Jews.
Jews were not people with equal rights at that time and that included in most places that they had to pay Leibzoll, a kind of customs duty for themselves when entering a town, a deeply discriminatory act only applied in relation to the Jewish part of the population. Since Germany was divided in more than 2000 independent territories, traveling was for Jews extremely difficult. Additionally there were big differences in the living conditions of the Jews depending on the place where they lived.
In Altona, now a suburb of Hamburg, then an independent town that belonged to Denmark, the situation was very satisfactory for the Jews. The Danish King was known for his liberal opinions and was considered a friend of the Jews.
In neighboring Hamburg the situation was different: the Senate, the representative government body of the rich traders and bankers was rather friendly to the Jews; the Burgerschaft, the lower house of the Hamburg parliament on the contrary made life for the Jews very difficult by introducing rules that made it almost impossible for Jews to live in Hamburg. (Exempted from these harsh rules were the Portuguese Jews, descendants of Jews from Portugal who had settled in Hamburg after the reconquista; the Teixeiras, the de Castros and other Sephardic families were already considered as "real" Hamburgers and held influential positions in Hamburg; a certain rift between the Sephardic and the Ashkenazy Jews is clearly visible from Glückel's writing. Although they shared the same belief, there seems to have been very little contact between these two groups. The sophisticated Sephards seem to have thought not too highly of their Ashkenazy brethren.)
Even worse was the situation in places like Leipzig, an important trading place that most Jewish traders visited twice a year - but Leipzig had for a reason the reputation of being a particularly anti-Semitic town that exposed Jews regularly to harsh treatment and extortion.
It may be rather strange for us readers today that Glückel is always so concerned about money. There is not a single page and for sure not a single characterization of a person that forgets to mention the exact amount of money someone's fortune is worth.
To marry off her children to a good, i.e. a wealthy family, is the major concern for her and her husband. The wedding "market" was small and match makers seem to have been an extremely important institution at that time. Marriage was the chance for upward social mobility and that was the main concern for parents at that time. In lucky cases - like obviously in Glückel's first marriage - love developed once the complete strangers were married and got to know each other. But it seems to be the exception, not the rule at Glückel's time.
This - for us - obsession with money has of course a reason: money provided a limited protection for the fragile existence of the Jews at that time. It was important not in itself, but as a means to buy favours, ensure loyalties, pay off extortionist governments, assure a comparatively elevated social status in the Jewish community. As a reader we never get the intention that Glückel or her husband were gready people; if necessary, they part easy with their money. But it wouldn't have been reasonable in their position with so many children not to permanently think about their pecuniary situation.
Glückel's autobiography also reflects political events, for example several wars which affected the life of the family or of friends and business partners. A particularly happy moment is the participation of the Prussian Crown Prince as a guest at the wedding of one of her children. I found it also extremely interesting to read about how much the Jews in Germany were affected by the appearance of the "false messiah" Sabbatai Zevi who was Glückel's contemporary, although he lived far away, in the Ottoman Empire.
Another aspect of Glückel's writing that I find fascinating are her descriptions of her or her husband's traveling. As already mentioned, traveling was no fun, especially for Jews. And there were pirates, robbers, or marauding soldiers all over the place. (One of the rare funny moments in the autobiography is also related to a travel experience; it involves a good servant of Glückel who got a drinking problem - but I will not give away the story here.) Hamburg saw several pandemics at Glückel's time, most notoriously the plague which spread a fear of visitors from Hamburg all over Germany for many years, a fear for which Glückel gives us readers also a very disturbing example in her autobiography.
The book is also rich in descriptions of Jewish life, the importance of community life and of celebrating the big feasts together. All in all this book was an interesting and touching reading experience, and I enjoyed it thoroughly.
A word about the manuscript: Glückel wrote the manuscript in Hebrew script and in Western Yiddish language. Western Yiddish is even closer to Standard German than its Eastern Yiddish variation. The original text reads like an archaic German with plenty of Hebrew loan words; grammar, syntax and about 90% of the vocabulary are German.
The original manuscript was passing within the family from generation to generation; the first publication was issued in 1896 in Yiddish; Bertha Pappenheim, a descendant of Glückel - readers of the book Studies on Hysteria by Josef Breuer and Sigmund Freud know her as Anna O., one of the most famous case studies in the history of psychoanalysis - , translated the book 1910 in German for a non-public edition that was circulated in the family; in 1913 a second German edition followed, this time for a general audience. Since that time also translations in other languages (also two times in English) have been published.
A truly fascinating autobiography!
Read
January 23, 2023This one had been on my mental tbr list since I read about it in Adam Kirsch's The People and the Books.
June 6, 2020
This book is based on a book by Turniansky 2006. I read also the 1710 source document (7 short books written in Yiddish and translated to Hebrew, Turniansky 2006, a careful and meticulous revised edition.)
This is one of the most fascinating books I have ever read. It is a tale of one smart lady in the 18th century Europe, telling with sincerity and amazing details the lives in her generation and her forefathers.
For me, it is an eye opener that reveals many incorrect myths and straight lies that I have been told. The short list of misleading myths are:
1. Ben Yehuda is the "Man who revived the Hebrew language in the 20th century, and without him we would have been missing a lot of words in the language! Wrong. The Hebrew words used in the original Yiddish script tells a different story altogether, in my humble opinion.
2. Ladies used to get married very early in the 18th century. Wrong. The facts in the Glikil large family are that ladies were married early, only if they come from well connected, financially secured families (this is based on the Jewish experience in Europe), otherwise they married in their 30's.
3. Jews were counter productive to the gentile, general population in Europe because they did not produce anything. On the contrary! Jews were the connecting and leading figures in getting funds and merchandise to the impoverished societies of the time.
4. Men were doing all the work during these times in history; women did not study and were taking care of the domestic work only. Not true! The writer is most knowledgeable in Jewish studies like the Talmud and general economics, trade and finance. She is the driving force in their investment and setting up enterprises (in addition to taking care of their children).
5. European societies in Germany, Russia, Poland, Sweden, Denmark, Ukraine and France were advanced enough in the 18th century to establish universities, basic knowledge and economics. Not true according to this witness! Glikl tells of backward cities that were very much living off historical reputation that is mainly based on power over the large ignorant populations.
6. My main impression over the years was that the Hebrew writing style of scripting (as opposed to the "printed style") was invented very late in history. Wrong! All Gilkl original writing is done in script.
7. Another view I held was that over the centuries, the Hebrew language was mainly using the Biblical Hebrew vocabulary. Wrong! Many words in the original script of Gilkl is using very interesting words, rich with meaning and very rooted in Talmudic and other studies (even mentioning the studies of Shabtay Zvi - the so called the Messiah of Lie).
All in all, it is a timely guide to life - true to this day! It's a tale of some persecuted families (not many Jewish families lived in Altona at the time of the writing, some 30 families) who rise up from the general population false beliefs (like the one about the sick 13 year old girl who is sent to exile in another city because of a swollen tissue) and legal agreements and laws that restrict these families to live in a specific city and only in few named streets (with no right to buy land) and succeed to live rich lives after all!!
This is one of the most fascinating books I have ever read. It is a tale of one smart lady in the 18th century Europe, telling with sincerity and amazing details the lives in her generation and her forefathers.
For me, it is an eye opener that reveals many incorrect myths and straight lies that I have been told. The short list of misleading myths are:
1. Ben Yehuda is the "Man who revived the Hebrew language in the 20th century, and without him we would have been missing a lot of words in the language! Wrong. The Hebrew words used in the original Yiddish script tells a different story altogether, in my humble opinion.
2. Ladies used to get married very early in the 18th century. Wrong. The facts in the Glikil large family are that ladies were married early, only if they come from well connected, financially secured families (this is based on the Jewish experience in Europe), otherwise they married in their 30's.
3. Jews were counter productive to the gentile, general population in Europe because they did not produce anything. On the contrary! Jews were the connecting and leading figures in getting funds and merchandise to the impoverished societies of the time.
4. Men were doing all the work during these times in history; women did not study and were taking care of the domestic work only. Not true! The writer is most knowledgeable in Jewish studies like the Talmud and general economics, trade and finance. She is the driving force in their investment and setting up enterprises (in addition to taking care of their children).
5. European societies in Germany, Russia, Poland, Sweden, Denmark, Ukraine and France were advanced enough in the 18th century to establish universities, basic knowledge and economics. Not true according to this witness! Glikl tells of backward cities that were very much living off historical reputation that is mainly based on power over the large ignorant populations.
6. My main impression over the years was that the Hebrew writing style of scripting (as opposed to the "printed style") was invented very late in history. Wrong! All Gilkl original writing is done in script.
7. Another view I held was that over the centuries, the Hebrew language was mainly using the Biblical Hebrew vocabulary. Wrong! Many words in the original script of Gilkl is using very interesting words, rich with meaning and very rooted in Talmudic and other studies (even mentioning the studies of Shabtay Zvi - the so called the Messiah of Lie).
All in all, it is a timely guide to life - true to this day! It's a tale of some persecuted families (not many Jewish families lived in Altona at the time of the writing, some 30 families) who rise up from the general population false beliefs (like the one about the sick 13 year old girl who is sent to exile in another city because of a swollen tissue) and legal agreements and laws that restrict these families to live in a specific city and only in few named streets (with no right to buy land) and succeed to live rich lives after all!!
January 12, 2020
The memoirs of Gluckel of Hameln.
A fascinating view into the life of a Jewish woman in a time we have very little access to.
Her experiences in raising her many children, marrying them off, running a business, going out of business, are shared in a matter of fact tone. She rarely gets emotional, except when praising god, which actually, happens quite often.
Some observations-
She talks about money. A lot. Like it's going out of style. It's off putting.
"Everyone" seems to have money. Which leads me to my next point-
Her social circle apparently comprises of people of her standing. Wealthy, community "shtadlanim", or court jews. Often the community's "Parnasim". These are the families she wants her children to marry into, or better yet, use marriage for upward social mobility to better their lot in life.
In her lifetime, she lives through wars, often indirectly, only effected through foreign trade. She lives through the plague, where her little daughter is run out of town, for fear of infecting the townspeople.
She lives through a horrific stampede in the shul which resulted in the death of six women.
Gluckel also gets to say "todays kids!", which cracked me up, because no matter in which generation you are born, the subsequent generation is always slightly more spoiled, slightly less responsible, than your own.
Gluckel often uses biblical or midrashic phrases or stories to make her point. She tells the story of Amnon and Tamar, King David and his son Absalom, except, bizarrely, the character's names are Emunis and Danila, King Jedija and his son Abadon respectively. Google wasn't helpful in finding the source for these names.
At the end of the book she talks about a rabbinical transition in the town, and shocker (not!), the drama and politics that came with it.
In sum, the more things change, the more it stays the same.
Farewell, Gluckel!
A fascinating view into the life of a Jewish woman in a time we have very little access to.
Her experiences in raising her many children, marrying them off, running a business, going out of business, are shared in a matter of fact tone. She rarely gets emotional, except when praising god, which actually, happens quite often.
Some observations-
She talks about money. A lot. Like it's going out of style. It's off putting.
"Everyone" seems to have money. Which leads me to my next point-
Her social circle apparently comprises of people of her standing. Wealthy, community "shtadlanim", or court jews. Often the community's "Parnasim". These are the families she wants her children to marry into, or better yet, use marriage for upward social mobility to better their lot in life.
In her lifetime, she lives through wars, often indirectly, only effected through foreign trade. She lives through the plague, where her little daughter is run out of town, for fear of infecting the townspeople.
She lives through a horrific stampede in the shul which resulted in the death of six women.
Gluckel also gets to say "todays kids!", which cracked me up, because no matter in which generation you are born, the subsequent generation is always slightly more spoiled, slightly less responsible, than your own.
Gluckel often uses biblical or midrashic phrases or stories to make her point. She tells the story of Amnon and Tamar, King David and his son Absalom, except, bizarrely, the character's names are Emunis and Danila, King Jedija and his son Abadon respectively. Google wasn't helpful in finding the source for these names.
At the end of the book she talks about a rabbinical transition in the town, and shocker (not!), the drama and politics that came with it.
In sum, the more things change, the more it stays the same.
Farewell, Gluckel!
October 30, 2018
Almost 3 years later, this books (as it happens the volume covers several journals als of Glickl combined to one book) still fascinate me.
Glickl shows us in many ways, that life offers each of us more than just one chance to better ourselves. She was undoubtedly the first business woman in the German countries and did things not yet heard of at her times.
As I feel inspired by her deeds and the way she builds not only a strong long lasting dynasty, at the end Glickl happens to disappoint a modern reader as she suddenly gives up her independence, financially and personally, to re-marry again and loose everything. On the other hand, the reader has become familiar with Glickl’s daily fight to hold her family and the families fortune together. It does not take a lot to understand that it was the glimpse of hope of a time of letting go all responsibility which let Glickl choose the late marriage.
Glickl shows us in many ways, that life offers each of us more than just one chance to better ourselves. She was undoubtedly the first business woman in the German countries and did things not yet heard of at her times.
As I feel inspired by her deeds and the way she builds not only a strong long lasting dynasty, at the end Glickl happens to disappoint a modern reader as she suddenly gives up her independence, financially and personally, to re-marry again and loose everything. On the other hand, the reader has become familiar with Glickl’s daily fight to hold her family and the families fortune together. It does not take a lot to understand that it was the glimpse of hope of a time of letting go all responsibility which let Glickl choose the late marriage.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 17, 2017
A surprisingly fun and upbeat diary for the life of a 17th century Jewish woman who suffered a number of difficulties, setbacks, and hardships. Gluckel was a very plucky, upbeat, go-getter girl who never hesitated to do what needs to be done to secure her own or her children's futures. As a modern Jewish woman who suffers from general anxiety and clinical depression, I often found myself surprised by how little she stopped to worry or stress about her situation, even when things went wrong. It almost didn't occur to her to worry about what might come next or how something might go wrong (and being a Jewish woman living in 1600's Europe, things often did go wrong). Whenever something needed to be done, she just went and did it. She's my inspiration, and I often re-read her diary whenever I need a reminder not to let fear or anxiety hold me back.
March 12, 2020
2020 bk 86. I picked this up because Hameln is the closest large city to the tiny village from whence came some of my ancestors. I learned more than I expected about the residents of the north German principalities in the 1600's, and in particular about the merchant class women of the time period who were Jewish. First thing I learned - there was far more travel than I expected. In her lifetime Gluckel traveled throught central Europe attending fairs and visiting relatives. Second item - she received both a secular and religious instruction as a child and continued to read and learn more about her faith. Third - there were both more and fewer rules restricting her life in the 1600's. I didn't expect the travel, I also didn't expect that she would run both a jewelry business and worked as a banker. Gluckel was shrewed, intelligent, a good manager, and wrote these memoirs so her younger children would know something of their father - I think the memoirs gave them, and now us, the opportunity to see more into her life as a woman in the 1600's. If there was anything missing it would have been more information on the laws of restriction and the customs tied in with the different holidays.
October 13, 2025
Lost me at points but very insightful
April 1, 2021
honestly, you just need to read books 1 & 2. the remainder is just a copy and paste of those two with different names, dates, and cities (marriage, death, bankruptcy, discrimination repeated over and over again). it's a memoir, so it's reflective of Gluckel's life. thus, I can't blame the writing or the repetitive account of her life, because she can only write about what has happened. still, only read this if you're very interested in jewish AND women's studies.
May 14, 2025
<<זיכרונם לברכה>> Glüklchen’s life, wisdom, and literary prowess has moved me beyond words despite the hundreds of years between us. Could not recommend this memoir enough
September 23, 2012
When Gluckel of Hameln, a 17th century German Jewish woman, began to write her memoirs, she could not have known that they would last through the centuries and become a unique primary source of Jewish life of the era. All she states at the outset was that she was writing as a means of comforting herself after the loss of her husband. Her only intended audience was her own children whom she addresses throughout the book. And the memoirs turn out not just to cover her life up until her husband's death but goes many decades past that. This was the work of a lifetime.
Gluckel expresses herself like any pious Jewish woman would: with lots of paraphrasing of the Torah and Talmud. Any 21st century Orthodox Jew will find her voice not just understandable but absolutely familiar. A little historical background knowledge is helpful, too; for example, she mentions the Chmielnicki massacres and the Shabtai Zvi phenomenon as events that had some impact on her own life. A student can learn about these things through the footnotes, but the better your background going in, the richer your experience of the book will be.
Because I do have that background, I found her memoirs fascinating, but I admit that the book was dull in a few spots. My husband's professor criticized Gluckel for over-focusing on money, but hey, isn't that what most of us focus on day to day? She was in the merchant and money-lending class, not at all unusual for Jews of that period. But to call her cheap or money-grubbing like the stereotype is completely unfair. She writes about money struggles because that was her life, but she focuses on the stories of how she married off each of her children just as much. If you know a mother whose kids are "in the parsha," you'll recognize her immediately.
Though it may be a spoiler, I can't resist sharing my very favorite anecdote. At some point, Gluckel and her husband end up on a boat, journeying somewhere on business. Gluckel is so seasick, her husband tells her to lie down through the entire journey, which she does. This improves things, but not much, and after a while, she is convinced she must be dying and begins to say the Vidui, the confessional prayer before death. Her husband, the more experienced traveler, is lying in the cot next to her, laughing. She gets angry with him, and in the next minute, annoyed at herself. After all, the last thing she needs while preparing herself to meet her Maker is to be in the sin of anger.
Isn't that such a classically Jewish story? So many of the frum books tell stories of tzaddikim that are meant to inspire but seem so beyond reach. Here is a woman with a normal yetzer hara, someone whose life is about Torah, but who struggles with ordinary familiar challenges. So I may just think of Gluckel when I say Vidui this Yom Kippur. Though I probably won't imagine my life to be on the line quite the way she did, at least I can strive to take the prayer seriously and say it with all the purity of heart I can muster.
Gmar chasima tova to all!
Gluckel expresses herself like any pious Jewish woman would: with lots of paraphrasing of the Torah and Talmud. Any 21st century Orthodox Jew will find her voice not just understandable but absolutely familiar. A little historical background knowledge is helpful, too; for example, she mentions the Chmielnicki massacres and the Shabtai Zvi phenomenon as events that had some impact on her own life. A student can learn about these things through the footnotes, but the better your background going in, the richer your experience of the book will be.
Because I do have that background, I found her memoirs fascinating, but I admit that the book was dull in a few spots. My husband's professor criticized Gluckel for over-focusing on money, but hey, isn't that what most of us focus on day to day? She was in the merchant and money-lending class, not at all unusual for Jews of that period. But to call her cheap or money-grubbing like the stereotype is completely unfair. She writes about money struggles because that was her life, but she focuses on the stories of how she married off each of her children just as much. If you know a mother whose kids are "in the parsha," you'll recognize her immediately.
Though it may be a spoiler, I can't resist sharing my very favorite anecdote. At some point, Gluckel and her husband end up on a boat, journeying somewhere on business. Gluckel is so seasick, her husband tells her to lie down through the entire journey, which she does. This improves things, but not much, and after a while, she is convinced she must be dying and begins to say the Vidui, the confessional prayer before death. Her husband, the more experienced traveler, is lying in the cot next to her, laughing. She gets angry with him, and in the next minute, annoyed at herself. After all, the last thing she needs while preparing herself to meet her Maker is to be in the sin of anger.
Isn't that such a classically Jewish story? So many of the frum books tell stories of tzaddikim that are meant to inspire but seem so beyond reach. Here is a woman with a normal yetzer hara, someone whose life is about Torah, but who struggles with ordinary familiar challenges. So I may just think of Gluckel when I say Vidui this Yom Kippur. Though I probably won't imagine my life to be on the line quite the way she did, at least I can strive to take the prayer seriously and say it with all the purity of heart I can muster.
Gmar chasima tova to all!
July 25, 2021
It's perhaps a little misleading for anyone reading this review to give it 5 stars, given that the float-over definition is that "it was amazing". Most readers, I think, would take this to mean that the book was a fantastic piece of writing complete with an inspiring or wondrous plot. But I truly find this autobiography amazing in that it has been preserved and come down to us almost 4 centuries after it was written and gives us such a detailed and thoughtful depiction of a Jewish woman's life in medieval Europe.
Much of what Gluckel focuses on in her journal is the material concerns of Jews in her time. While we today might sniff at her constant monetization of people and things in her community, Jews were frequently subject to legal discriminations and constraints imposed by municipalities and principalities that had a constant hand in their pockets. They were levied taxes to live and trade in jurisdictions, and their estates even confiscated if they had the ill-luck to die while doing business in a locale of which they were not a resident. If a Jew wasn't business savvy and knew what to buy and how and where to turn it around, who to buy it from and to whom to lend at interest, their subsequent financial crash put them at considerable personal risk, several levels more precarious than a Gentile in a similar situation.
In addition to her Jewish status and how that impacted her daily life, I was very affected by the simple fact of the tenuousness of life in the 1600s, something we are habitually ignorant of today. People were routinely betrothed in marriage in their early teens, married and with several children by the age of 20, and frequently widowed before the age of 30. Gluckel's narrative feels like a roller coaster ride through the fortuitous festivities of a successful marriage of one of her children through to the calamitous demise of spouses and promising offspring and back up again in the grateful celebration of a risky but successful business venture.
I'm impressed with this woman's commitment to telling her story and with the wit, intensity and finesse of her telling of it, no less for her devotion to the task than for the events in her story and the window she gives us onto life in a medieval European Jewish community. Highly recommended reading.
Much of what Gluckel focuses on in her journal is the material concerns of Jews in her time. While we today might sniff at her constant monetization of people and things in her community, Jews were frequently subject to legal discriminations and constraints imposed by municipalities and principalities that had a constant hand in their pockets. They were levied taxes to live and trade in jurisdictions, and their estates even confiscated if they had the ill-luck to die while doing business in a locale of which they were not a resident. If a Jew wasn't business savvy and knew what to buy and how and where to turn it around, who to buy it from and to whom to lend at interest, their subsequent financial crash put them at considerable personal risk, several levels more precarious than a Gentile in a similar situation.
In addition to her Jewish status and how that impacted her daily life, I was very affected by the simple fact of the tenuousness of life in the 1600s, something we are habitually ignorant of today. People were routinely betrothed in marriage in their early teens, married and with several children by the age of 20, and frequently widowed before the age of 30. Gluckel's narrative feels like a roller coaster ride through the fortuitous festivities of a successful marriage of one of her children through to the calamitous demise of spouses and promising offspring and back up again in the grateful celebration of a risky but successful business venture.
I'm impressed with this woman's commitment to telling her story and with the wit, intensity and finesse of her telling of it, no less for her devotion to the task than for the events in her story and the window she gives us onto life in a medieval European Jewish community. Highly recommended reading.
December 15, 2017
What a treasure to have these memoirs from a remarkable Jewish woman who lived from 1646-1724 in Germany. This edition has a wonderful introduction providing historical context for Gluckel's life and times, and Gluckel herself writes with flair, showing both a sharp eye for human nature and the details around her, but also is able to quote frequently from Jewish sources including the Psalms, the Prophets, and more, underscoring her education.
Married at 14 and eventually giving birth to 14 children (several died), Gluckel explains her purpose in writing her life story (which she began to do at 44) as a way to deal with her grief over the death of her beloved husband, Chayim Hameln. She was a woman of means, and together with her husband she built a very lucrative business buying and selling semi-precious stones, including seed pearls. She was an astute woman of business, and when her husband's health failed she traveled alone to market her wares and make purchases in Germany, France, Denmark, Holland, Austria and Poland. All this, at a time when Jews were subject to so many limitations on where they could settle, travel, and do business. Through all this she writes of her faith in God and in His Providence.
This book is truly fascinating, as Gluckel describes her experiences as a mother, including the heartbreak of sending off a baby feared to have the plague to villagers willing to care for her (the baby was not in fact plague-ridden); negotiating with marriage brokers for suitable matches for their children; dealing with business setbacks and dishonest partners; anti-Semitic incidents and threats; and worry over adult children who are becoming corrupt.
As Gluckel's personal fortunes rise and fall, she never loses sight of the necessity to find the next good business deal to help support her very large family. Separated through many centuries, this story of an amazing Jewish woman who personally knew some of the most prominent Jews in Europe at the time is a valuable glimpse into Jewish European history of 400-plus years ago.
Married at 14 and eventually giving birth to 14 children (several died), Gluckel explains her purpose in writing her life story (which she began to do at 44) as a way to deal with her grief over the death of her beloved husband, Chayim Hameln. She was a woman of means, and together with her husband she built a very lucrative business buying and selling semi-precious stones, including seed pearls. She was an astute woman of business, and when her husband's health failed she traveled alone to market her wares and make purchases in Germany, France, Denmark, Holland, Austria and Poland. All this, at a time when Jews were subject to so many limitations on where they could settle, travel, and do business. Through all this she writes of her faith in God and in His Providence.
This book is truly fascinating, as Gluckel describes her experiences as a mother, including the heartbreak of sending off a baby feared to have the plague to villagers willing to care for her (the baby was not in fact plague-ridden); negotiating with marriage brokers for suitable matches for their children; dealing with business setbacks and dishonest partners; anti-Semitic incidents and threats; and worry over adult children who are becoming corrupt.
As Gluckel's personal fortunes rise and fall, she never loses sight of the necessity to find the next good business deal to help support her very large family. Separated through many centuries, this story of an amazing Jewish woman who personally knew some of the most prominent Jews in Europe at the time is a valuable glimpse into Jewish European history of 400-plus years ago.
July 15, 2024
Glückel wrote her memoirs over the years 1690 to 1719. She puts to paper the story of her life, partly to help her deal with the grief over the loss of her husband of thirty years, but also to provide her children, grandchildren, and all future generations with the story of their antecedents. She writes of both her and her husband’s parents, grandparents, and their siblings. We learn how she raised 12 children to adulthood and saw them all married in her lifetime. Throughout his life, her husband consulted her in his business dealings, so much so that, upon his death, he had full confidence that she would be able to continue running their business..
This well-written diary describes what Jewish life was like in 17th century Germany and the surrounding countries. There were rulers who were kind to the Jews and rulers who were cruel and/or who expelled them. Glückel is born towards the end of the Thirty Years War and she lives through war, plague, and the hysteria of the false messiah, Shabbtai Tzvi. She experiences bankruptcy, both her own and of several of her married children, and she remains determined throughout as she manages to pay her creditors and find money to support her large family.
My main critique of this memoir is that Glückel spends a lot of time moralizing to her children. As a pious, religious woman, she firmly believes in the rightness of G-d’s judgment and she describes the world though this prism. It took me a while to adjust to a tone and language that is somewhat old fashioned. In fact, in the forward to the translation that I read, the translator explains how he aimed to capture “something of the spirit of the original by giving the English language a ring of an earlier period without sounding archaic.”
This book is a testament to the fullness of the lives of women at a time in history that often seems to be ruled by men Call it early feminism if you will, but this book demonstrates how women played an active part in the lives of their community.
This well-written diary describes what Jewish life was like in 17th century Germany and the surrounding countries. There were rulers who were kind to the Jews and rulers who were cruel and/or who expelled them. Glückel is born towards the end of the Thirty Years War and she lives through war, plague, and the hysteria of the false messiah, Shabbtai Tzvi. She experiences bankruptcy, both her own and of several of her married children, and she remains determined throughout as she manages to pay her creditors and find money to support her large family.
My main critique of this memoir is that Glückel spends a lot of time moralizing to her children. As a pious, religious woman, she firmly believes in the rightness of G-d’s judgment and she describes the world though this prism. It took me a while to adjust to a tone and language that is somewhat old fashioned. In fact, in the forward to the translation that I read, the translator explains how he aimed to capture “something of the spirit of the original by giving the English language a ring of an earlier period without sounding archaic.”
This book is a testament to the fullness of the lives of women at a time in history that often seems to be ruled by men Call it early feminism if you will, but this book demonstrates how women played an active part in the lives of their community.
June 27, 2018
I loved this book. Perhaps I should say that I like old memoirs and journals, particularly by women [and there are so few of them!] and that I also enjoy reading historical documents and about history of certain places and certain centuries. That may be one of the biases of these lines. I might also add I am not Jewish.
What is fascinating and intriguing is how this person,living 400 years ago, comes out alive and well, in this text. That we understand her and her motives, her sense of humor. We commune with her preocupations which give or take small differences are preoccupations we have today: the raising of offspring; providing what you can to insure your child's future better than your own; guidance through religious beliefs and wisdom against false new religious leaders; the conduct of ethical and profitable business.
Glückel also reveals surprising details of everyday life. For instance, she required special permissions to travel and to stay within the borders of towns for being Jewish; she travels more frequently than I expected, despite her being a woman, despite the difficulties of lodging, depite her jewishness. Sickness is awful anytime but here we see how absolutely dreadful it could be even for a well to do merchant family. She also comandeers her business decisively and dynamically. Her errors in judgment are few for anyone, in any century! And she loves her husband, and she is loved by him, even though she probably had an arranged marriage just like the ones she provided for her children.
I love this book because Glückel puts me in touch with the 17th century daily life, but more than that, she reminds me of the infinite chain that links us all; and in particular infinite connection that all women share, Jewish or not. Glückel simply reminded me of the universality of our experiences, transcending centuries, religions and cultures. Few books can do that.
What is fascinating and intriguing is how this person,living 400 years ago, comes out alive and well, in this text. That we understand her and her motives, her sense of humor. We commune with her preocupations which give or take small differences are preoccupations we have today: the raising of offspring; providing what you can to insure your child's future better than your own; guidance through religious beliefs and wisdom against false new religious leaders; the conduct of ethical and profitable business.
Glückel also reveals surprising details of everyday life. For instance, she required special permissions to travel and to stay within the borders of towns for being Jewish; she travels more frequently than I expected, despite her being a woman, despite the difficulties of lodging, depite her jewishness. Sickness is awful anytime but here we see how absolutely dreadful it could be even for a well to do merchant family. She also comandeers her business decisively and dynamically. Her errors in judgment are few for anyone, in any century! And she loves her husband, and she is loved by him, even though she probably had an arranged marriage just like the ones she provided for her children.
I love this book because Glückel puts me in touch with the 17th century daily life, but more than that, she reminds me of the infinite chain that links us all; and in particular infinite connection that all women share, Jewish or not. Glückel simply reminded me of the universality of our experiences, transcending centuries, religions and cultures. Few books can do that.
July 14, 2013
To be fair, this book was actually a series of diaries written by the author for her children. They weren't written in anticipation of them being published as a memoir.
Centuries later, her story comes to light, and with it an incredible description of life in Germany, in the 17th Century. From one woman's pen comes a multitude of historical reference and insight.
Life for women was difficult enough during Gluckel's time period, never mind the fact that she was a widow and mother of twelve. From daily life descriptions to interactions with the world outside, the story behind her life and the lives of her children is astonishing for its historical content and context.
Her writing transcends generations and centuries, and transports the reader back in time, to the realities of life's struggles and harshness, especially for women. Life was difficult enough for a man to make his way into the world, striving to care for his family. Being a woman made the adversity more demanding. Adding children to the demands of daily living and survival, made Gluckel's accomplishments more amazing.
She was married twice, and after the death of her first husband she began to write a diary to help her during sleepless nights. She eventually remarried, and continued writing, once again, after the death of her second husband.
The book was translated from her journals, which were written in Yiddish. Through the plague, wars, births, deaths and Jewish life, Gluckel's memoir is an astounding and descriptive look into Jewish life and into the history of the time period.
Centuries later, her story comes to light, and with it an incredible description of life in Germany, in the 17th Century. From one woman's pen comes a multitude of historical reference and insight.
Life for women was difficult enough during Gluckel's time period, never mind the fact that she was a widow and mother of twelve. From daily life descriptions to interactions with the world outside, the story behind her life and the lives of her children is astonishing for its historical content and context.
Her writing transcends generations and centuries, and transports the reader back in time, to the realities of life's struggles and harshness, especially for women. Life was difficult enough for a man to make his way into the world, striving to care for his family. Being a woman made the adversity more demanding. Adding children to the demands of daily living and survival, made Gluckel's accomplishments more amazing.
She was married twice, and after the death of her first husband she began to write a diary to help her during sleepless nights. She eventually remarried, and continued writing, once again, after the death of her second husband.
The book was translated from her journals, which were written in Yiddish. Through the plague, wars, births, deaths and Jewish life, Gluckel's memoir is an astounding and descriptive look into Jewish life and into the history of the time period.
Read
July 26, 2012Rare glimpse into the life of a Jewish woman in Germany from her birth (1690) to her old age, through fourteen children, two husbands and many everyday 'business' transactions. It is written to her children, with the aim to retain her legacy and her memory, not to entertain. In that regard, she has been singularly successful in achieving her goal. I've seen this book referenced by historians on multiple occasions. The book was well worth the read. Would recommend it to anyone interested in European Jewish history. It's an easy read and gives a real glimpse into life 300 years ago.
August 17, 2021
A fascinating first-hand account of the life of a Jewess in Northern Germany in the 17\18th century. Of particular interest was how they dealt with plagues in those days and in particular how they self-isolated. Something we can sympathise with during the Corona pandemic.
Another point of interest is that although she was a girl, it was standard from them to learn together with boys in the "cheder" (elementary school). This provided her with the skills to do the book keeping for her husband's business and then conduct international trade when he died.
A real jewel of a book.
Another point of interest is that although she was a girl, it was standard from them to learn together with boys in the "cheder" (elementary school). This provided her with the skills to do the book keeping for her husband's business and then conduct international trade when he died.
A real jewel of a book.
July 24, 2020
Wow! This is an amazing book. It's very rare to hear a woman's viewpoint in the 17th century, never mind a wealthy Jewish woman in Germany. Fascinating to hear about life in this era - especially the lack of practical medical care and the calculated business that marriage was in those days. Great read.
January 1, 2018
Amazing read!
October 18, 2022
This is a fascinating insight into a forgotten world. Yet, the freshness and immediacy of the writung makes it feel contemporary. Thoroughly recommended!
March 11, 2025
This autobiography by a formerly upper middle class Jewish woman who lived the majority of her life in northern Germany provides a fascinating look into the lives of Jewish traders and money lenders in the latter part of the 17th century and the beginning of the 18th century.
With its central focus on the author’s life it defies the reader’s expectations and stereotypes concerning women’s roles in the home and commerce at that time. Instead it paints a portrait of a woman who is learned about both religious and secular maters, and plays an integral role in her husband’s business and commerce while also running a household that included giving birth to 14 children, of whom 12 survived to adulthood. Furthermore upon the death of her husband at a young age she ably takes his place and operates his business successfully until she remarries and comes to ruin when her second husband goes bankrupt. The autobiography peters out at that point with few details of her life and activities after she moves in with her married daughter and son-in-law.
The author does not mince words in describing the barriers faced by Jews seeking to do business nor the antisemitism that was prevalent and prevailed throughout Germany, Austria and elsewhere.
There are times when she ventures far afield when discussing the lessons that could be gleaned from religious stories, or draws analogies between them and current events. These tend to be tedious and at times far fetched.
Nevertheless the book is a valuable and interesting window on Jewish life in late 17th and early 18th century Germany.
With its central focus on the author’s life it defies the reader’s expectations and stereotypes concerning women’s roles in the home and commerce at that time. Instead it paints a portrait of a woman who is learned about both religious and secular maters, and plays an integral role in her husband’s business and commerce while also running a household that included giving birth to 14 children, of whom 12 survived to adulthood. Furthermore upon the death of her husband at a young age she ably takes his place and operates his business successfully until she remarries and comes to ruin when her second husband goes bankrupt. The autobiography peters out at that point with few details of her life and activities after she moves in with her married daughter and son-in-law.
The author does not mince words in describing the barriers faced by Jews seeking to do business nor the antisemitism that was prevalent and prevailed throughout Germany, Austria and elsewhere.
There are times when she ventures far afield when discussing the lessons that could be gleaned from religious stories, or draws analogies between them and current events. These tend to be tedious and at times far fetched.
Nevertheless the book is a valuable and interesting window on Jewish life in late 17th and early 18th century Germany.
November 13, 2021
An incredible autobiography of a pious Jewish woman in late 17th Century Germany who gave birth to 14 children, ran a jewelry business, attends synagogue regularly and quotes Scripture at the drop of a hat. The death of relatives and friends visits her frequently due to plagues, disease and highwaymen. Yet Gluckel plods on through her 60s. Unlike the poor Jewish peasant stock in neighboring Poland who were being annihilated at the time by the Chmielnicki massacres, the Jews of Germany were businessmen to the extent that the government allowed. Many were wealthy, although they earned and lost large sums. Sometimes this memoir reads like an accounting ledger with details of large expenditures on merchandise and dowries. Indeed Gluckel is constantly arranging marriages for her children and bailing her sons out of failed business ventures. It would helpful if the translator provided maps and a family tree.
August 6, 2023
I wanted to like this book more than I did. Gluckel is remarkable for having been both a businesswoman and a memoirist at a time when vanishingly few women were either, and her story is peppered with all kinds of of wild drama: Plague, blackmail, murders, moments of happiness and success immediately dashed by bankruptcy and betrayal. I can imagine writers or historians mining it for great details and plot twists.
However, Gluckel’s style is very much “This happened and then this and then that, and he never paid me back the twenty bucks he owed me but it wasn’t worth a lawsuit and then this and then that…” with no sense of cause and effect or rising tension. I found it very hard to care about any of the avalanche of random events.
However, Gluckel’s style is very much “This happened and then this and then that, and he never paid me back the twenty bucks he owed me but it wasn’t worth a lawsuit and then this and then that…” with no sense of cause and effect or rising tension. I found it very hard to care about any of the avalanche of random events.
May 1, 2023
This book is a treasure for anyone wanting insight into 17th century Jewish life in Northern Germany. Glückel is a terrific storyteller, and her life is rich with well-observed, quotidian detail. Whether she's recounting a humorous mix-up involving her and her mother's babies, expressing sorrow and exasperation at a wayward son, fretting over her husband's travels in cities that are hostile to Jews, entering into misguided business deals, or relating major events in the Jewish community of Hamburg/Altona, Glückel's memoirs rarely lack for interest and provide an invaluable window into the period and Jewish culture of the time.
October 17, 2018
Remarkable woman and remarkable work, a business woman, a mother of 12, married off at 14, a woman of great energy, intelligence and feeling. To write so well and to accomplish all that she had accomplished and on her own, widowed in her 4Os and proceeded to carry on the family business with international dealings and while negotiating marriage contracts, traveling for business, running a store - all in 17th century - at that time for a woman is truly amazing. An interesting eye witness account of Jewish community life and traditions of 17 century.
June 11, 2018
Gluckel's memoir aren't exactly good, but they are worth reading. She's a talented storyteller, but the material is confusingly organized and often repetitive. To be fair, she's not trying to appeal to a mass audience: the book was written for her children as a record of their family history. At the same time, Gluckel's personality really shines through, and it's a fascinating account of Jewish life in late 17th century Europe.
July 19, 2017
This book is surprisingly comforting and enjoyable for me. I bought it at the Jewish museum in Berlin on a trip and was so entrenched by this seemingly boring but incredibly fun 17th century Jewish woman's life. It's very much out of the realm of books I normally read, but her sense of humor and present-day relatable emotions somehow relax me.
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