Glückel of Hameln was born in Hamburg in 1646. When she was twelve, her parents engaged her to Haym of Hameln, whom she married two years later. Over time, Haym became a successful businessman in Hamburg. They had fourteen children, twelve of whom survived. In addition to fulfilling her duties as a mother and wife, Glückel was actively involved in the family business, so much so that when her husband was asked on his deathbed if he wished to leave any final instructions or advice, he replied: «I have no instructions. My wife knows everything about the business. Let her continue doing it as she has done until now.» Haym died in 1689. Eleven years later, Glückel married Hertz Levy of Metz, the city to which they moved. Hertz drained the family fortune, and upon his death in 1711, Glückel was left in utter poverty, dependent on the support of one of her daughters and her son-in-law.

Glückel began writing her memoirs, in Yiddish, two years after Haym’s death, to «banish the melancholic thoughts she had during many sleepless nights and to be able to pass on to her children the stories of their parents’ lives.» Java Turniansky tells us: «The first chapter is an introduction to her spiritual world, a kind of manifesto of the faith, beliefs, aspirations, motives, and opinions of this pious and God-fearing Jewish woman, where she addressed themes from the field of Mussar, the Jewish movement of morality and ethical teachings.» In the introduction to the first chapter, Glückel wrote the following story:

“A bird tried to cross a sea with its three chicks. The sea was so wide and the wind so strong that the father bird was forced to carry its young, one by one, in its strong talons. When it was halfway across with the first chick, the wind turned into a gale, and it said, “My child, look how I am struggling and risking my life for you.” When you are older, will you do the same for me and provide for me in my old age?» The chick replied, «Just take me to a safe place, and when you are old, I will do anything you ask.» At that moment, the father bird threw his son into the sea. He drowned, and the father said, «This is what is done to a liar like you.» Then the father bird returned to the shore, came out with his second son, asked him the same question, and upon receiving the same answer, drowned the second son with the cry, «You are a liar too!» Finally, he set off with the third chick, and when he asked the same question, the third and last chick replied, «My dear father, it is true that you are fighting mightily and risking your life for me, and I would be wrong if I did not return this to you when you are old, but I cannot commit myself. However, I can promise you this: when I grow up and have children, I will do as much for them as you did for me.» Then the father bird said, «You have spoken well and wisely, my son, and I will spare your life and bring you safely to shore.»

From her diary, we know that Glückel had a traditional Jewish education. From her personal reading, she not only gleaned dozens of stories and parables that she included in the text, but also the foundations of her worldview and her Judaism. It is also a historical testimony of what the Jewish world was like at that time. The diary of Glückel of Hameln is more than her personal history.

By Marcos Gojman.

Bibliography: Java Turniansky: “Glückel of Hameln”