The Memoirs of Gluckel of Hameln

Translated from Yiddish by Marvin Lowenthal, The Memoirs of Gluckel of Hameln is a diary of a Jewish woman from Hamburg, Germany who began writing in 1690. Before her husband's death she was involved in his business affairs, and after he died she assumed full responsibilities of the business. Her work allowed her to travel and support her family. Gluckel's ability to overcome societal impediments justifies the astonishing nature of her story and this text. Not only was she a woman, but a Jewish woman. The emancipation of European Jews during this period precluded them from intermingling with Christians as Jews were marginalized to the outskirts and were forced into money lending. Gluckel overcame her obstacles as a woman and as a Jew. 

Aside from the incredible nature of her memoir, Gluckel describes a happy life within her family. Here are some quotes that illustrate happiness in Gluckel's family.

Context of this quote: It is time for Gluckel's daughter, Zippora to get married, and so the family seeks a husband and later proceeds with the marriage in Cleves (in the Netherlands). 

"Our Business prospered. And Zipporah, my eldest child, was now a girl of almost twelve. Whereat Loeb Hamburger in Amsterdam, the son of Reb Amscel, proposed her marriage to Kossmann, the son of Elias Cleve, of blessed memory...Fourteen days before the marriage we set forth with timbrels and with dances, twenty strong, for Cleves, where we were welcomed with all honours. We found ourselves in a house that was truly a king's palace, magnificently furnished in every way…my daughter looked so beautiful that her like was never seen…all the noble-born guests departed (from the wedding party) in great content, and never a Jew received such high honour in a hundred years. And the wedding was brought to a happy end" (Gluckel 95-99). 

This butchered quote illustrates many qualities that would contribute to a happy life like: the reference to their prosperous business, the luxurious accommodations in Cleves, Gluckel's description of her beautiful daughter, and the happy end of the wedding. Among other references, these examples paint a happy picture of Gluckel's family. 

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Context of this quote: Gluckel discusses her widowed mother's case after Gluckel's father's death. 

"Although a number of excellent matches were proposed to her, so that she might have remarried and come into great wealth, the dear and good woman preferred to remain as she was; and with the little that was left to her she quietly made her own way, and lived therefrom decently and well. She dwelt in her own house, kept her house keeper by her side, and enjoyed her life in peace. May the good Lord prevail upon every woman, who, God forbid! loses her husband, to the same….The pleasure we children and her grandchildren took in the dear woman is not to be told" (Gluckel 119-120). 

This quote expresses the happiness of a widow with no intention of getting remarried. Historians frequently suggest that the life of the widow was very difficult and lacked happiness, but this example negates that suggestion. Aside from the blissful widow, this quote illustrates the adoration that Gluckel and Gluckel's children had for her mother and grandmother respectively. 

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Context of this quote: Gluckel discusses the short intervals between the birth of her children and in doing so, she expresses her love for them. 

"Every two years I had a baby. I was tormented with worries as everyone is with a little house full of children, God be with them! and I thought myself more heavily burdened than anyone else in the world and that no one suffered from their children as much as I. Little I knew, poor fool, how fortunate I was when I seated my children like olive plants around my table" (Gluckel 119-120). 

Scholars like Lawrence Stone reserve that the Early Modern Household was a place of violence for women and children. He explained it was the worst time in history for the family unit. Stone contends that because of high infant mortality rates during this period, parents did not invest emotional capital in their children (did not form close bonds). This quote negates that assumption. Gluckel worried about her children's well being and realized their positive impact on her.