Memoirs of Gluckel of Hameln
Your answers should be typed with 1-inch margins, 12 point font and double spacing, and should be 4 pages, but no longer. Be concise with the answer. Number your pages and staple them together. ALL ANSWERS MUST BE IN YOUR OWN WORDS. Tutor MUST be adherent to deadlines.
1. Details about the book and Gluckel’s life: From the Intro: In what language did Gluckel write her memoirs? Why are her memoirs so unique? What role did Bertha Pappenheim play in the publication of Gluckel’s memoirs? Look at the file under this one on canvas: what else did Bertha Pappenheim accomplish? Why did Gluckel write her memoirs? When was Gluckel born and where? At what age was she betrothed and married? How many children did she have?
2. Gluckel’s children: Describe how and to whom Gluckel married off her children. Friends? Relatives? Did her children know their spouses before the engagement? Did she know her husband before the wedding? What do you think of this way of creating marriages – is there anything good about it?
3. What do her stories reveal about the relations of Christians and Jews in this period of history? [We can assume that local authorities, nobles and other unnamed people are probably not Jews.] If you think they are positive, explain why. If you think negative, give me examples.
4. What were the economic role/s of Jews in Europe? In what kinds of ways did Jews make a living? Does she give the impression that all Jews were wealthy? What about the economic roles of Jewish women? Find mention of 2-3 women who support their families; how did they do it? What was Gluckel’s role/s in her husband’s business and after his death?
5. What were the various ways Jews expressed their distinct religion? Did people know they were Jews? Is there any indication how they would know? How did Jewish women express their religiosity? How did men? Does Gluckel express any negative feelings regarding the treatment of Jewish women?
