Jewish Feminisms

Glikl bas Leib wrote in Yiddish between 1691 and 1719. 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.

The first-known Yiddish book to be written by a woman, "Meneket Rivkah" (Rivkah's Nurse) reveals a great deal about 16th-century Jewish women's lives and religious practices. It includes Rivkah bat Meir's sermons, her interpretations of the Bible, and other religious instructions on various topics to guide women in their familial relationships. The book also includes the original Yiddish text of Meneket Rivkah.

"The Seyder Tkhines," translated from its original Yiddish was a standard Yiddish prayer book for women. It first appeared in Amsterdam in 1648, and continued to be published for the next three generations, usually inside the Hebrew synagogue prayer book. Seyder Tkhines provided women with newly composed, alternative daily prayers that were more specific to their needs. Included in this volume is a unique Yiddish manuscript dating from the 17th century - a collection of prayers written specifically for a rich, pregnant woman, which Kay discovered among the rare books of the Bodleian Library in Oxford, England.