THIS BOOK IS FROM THE RABBI ABRAHAM J. FELDMAN COLLECTION OF JUDAICA PRESENTED BY THE JEWISH LEDGER IN HONOR OF ITS EDITOR SUNDAY. JUNE 18, 1944 TO THE lUR L. CROSS LIBRARY OF THE LAS' OF CONNECTICUT BOOK 296.L45 c. 1 LAZARUS # JEWISH WOMAN 3 il53 000fil330 5 .^:^ I Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2009 with funding from Boston Library Consortium IVIember Libraries http://www.archive.org/details/nahidaremysjewisOOremy ...;^^1^ iWTi f ^,#^ ':! cXoAacUl (Pu/m^ NAHIDA REMY'S " HQ The Jewish Woman. AUTHORIZED TRANSLATION BY LOUISE MANNHEIMER. WITH A PREFACE BY PROF. DR. LAZARUS. CINCINNATI : 33ress of Qt. S. BrcpCei ^- €ompan». 248-250 WALNUT STREET. 1895. I and mg hou^^, we sertie the lord, —Joshua xxiv. 15. lis house, thai is his iitif^, — Talmud. Copyright, 1895, by Louise Mannheimer. All Ripjhts Reserved. PREFACE TO THE TRANSLATION. THE same spirit of enthusiasm whicli animated the organizers of the National Council of Jew- ish Women is manifested in the writings of Nahida Remy. It is a spirit of renaissance which strives to reestablish the lofty, pure, and beautiful ideals of humanity as found in the oldest document of Mono- theism—the Mosaic Law. The scholarly researches, the cogent reasoning, the fervent pleading of the German authoress can not but arouse the attention and awaken a responsive zeal. In my attempt to bring this work of intrinsic merit before the English reading public I have en- deavored to convey the ideas of the writer rather than to give a literal translation. Some chapters of this work deal largely with the various occupations of women, and there I met with a peculiar difficulty, originating in the fact that in contradistinction from other modern tongues the English language in some cases does not possess, in other cases does not admit the use of, feminine endings in the designation of female practitioners of the different professions. How cumbersome appears, e.g., the term ''female teacher," or ''lady teacher," in comparison with the German designation " lehrerin," 7 8 PREFACE TO TRANSLATION. etc. This deficiency of the otherwise so rich and ample English language should be supplied by some creative and authoritative mind. Dr. Isaac M. Wise was the first to call my attention to Nahida Remy's work; to him, to Dr. M. Mielziner, to Dr. David Philipson, and, above all, to my husband, I am indebted for many valuable suggestions, and for kind encouragement. The published works of these scholars, and Grace Aguilar's waitings, I used for ref- erence in emphasizing some historical and some ethical facts. May the voice of the authoress be heard reechoing in the Knglish version ; may it thus, with the help of the Eternal, be instrumental in bringing still wider circles under the influence of all that is good and noble. lyOuiSE Mannheimer. Cinci7inati, May, 1895. PREFACE. COM PlyY most willingly with the request of the 1 publisher to say a few words, by way of intro- duction, in bringing this book before the public ; not to praise it, for it will gain the favor of the reader by its own merit, but in order to dispel prejudice. The book should be received alike by non-Jewish and by Jewish readers in that impartial spirit in which it was written, and which is one of its absolute merits. Disquisitions about Jews are rarely written without prejudice ; disquisitions written b}^ w^omen are seldom thorough. This book, though written by a Christian woman, is most thorough, and at the same time free from all prejudice. A woman will undoubtedly penetrate deeper into the peculiar disposition, the sensibilities and tendencies of her own sex, and will more readily gain insight into the character of a people of another race, different re- ligion, and of former times, if she regard them without prejudice, if she direct her thoughts candidl}^ upon true cognition. It can be clearly seen that the work originated in the desire to obtain a true picture of the idiosyncrasies of the nature, character, and histor}^ of the Jewish woman. This result the author obtained by observation of the present time, and the study of the past. How well she has succeeded, almost every chapter, a3^e, even the table 9 lO PREFACE. of contents, bears witness. The extensive historical studies do not impart to the work any marked effort, but are seen in the good result only. Nahida Remy's keen observations are not so much the result of microscopic investigation as of a hearty devotion to the cause. The author does not analyze her subject by means of dry reflections; nor does she try to disclose, in a merely abstract manner, the spe- cific inborn propensities of Jewish women and their historical development. She does not dissect, she rather delineates in abundant and well-chosen exam- ples the historical reality and activity of the Jewish woman. At one time she shows the highest efforts of the Jewess as prophetess, or as a mother ; at another, she presents excellent characters. Biblical and Talmudical, a Copia Sullam, the daughters of Daniel Itzig. Again, she discloses the mainsprings of their efforts : the Hebrew language, religion and poetry, those deep sources, w^hich, in the course of history, either flow freely or ebb awa}'. Some of the given details can not be considered per- fectly reliable, and still less so their correct interpreta- tion, for here the material could not always be gathered from trustworthy sources; but one finds rich compen- sation in the exquisite treatment of the subject. Regarding the Biblical characters, Nahida Reni}^ was not merely able to get her information from original vSources, but even from the original text, a rare accom- plishment indeed for a woman. Those conversant with the Hebrew language will be pleased and astonished at the sovereign boldness of her interpretations of Hebrew phrases. It is as if .her ab- sorbing interest in the subject had imbued her with the : PREFACE. II Spirit of absolute freedom, which characterizes the Midrash in treating the Biblical text. It was certainl}^ difficult to guard a presentation of entirely historical facts against two opposite dangers The one, a merely chronological enumeration of the historical personages, which would lack logical order and poetical attractiveness ; the other, a grouping ac- cording to coherence and exclusively esthetical laws, where historical evolution of the actual facts would be missing, or at least be obscured. With wonderful tact, and wise consideration of antagonistic psychological conditions, and with a firm hand, the skiff of character- ization is guided between the Scylla and Charybdis of accurate but unattractive forms. It seems to me that the author fell somewhat in love with the culture studies about Jewish women, as often happens with persons who fix their attention earnestly, for a long period, on one subject. However, it is not a love that makes blind, but rather renders the perception clearer, in regard to the excellencies, as well as the shortcomings, of the beloved subject. Her judgment of Jewish women is candid, and with- out bias, and if her growing admiration finds its climax in contemplation of their virtues in the olden times, her keen criticism is aroused by the observation of their failings in our own period. If toda}" a work is published about the Jews, it is a polemic either for or against them. The book under consideration is not of this nature. The Jewish ques- tion does not exist for the author; she does not liti- gate against them, nor in their behalf. She does, how- ever, litigate ; that is, she contends for all that ever ennobled Jewish w^omen; she contends for her in- herited endowments ; for her gentleness, for her mod- ! 12 PREFACE. esty, for the statutes and laws, for all the lofty heir- looms of the true, faithful Jewess; but she likewise contends strongly and openl}^, and always justly, against her failings at the present time. She con- tends against her neglect of her sacred inheritance, against her eager pursuit of frivolities instead of living in accordance with the spirit of her wonderful history. With the harvest of recent advantages of modern education and modern freedom, have ripened, simul- taneously, moral disadvantages, which, though easily understood, are not pardonable. These disadvantages prevail more among women than among men. If, in this regard, a severe judgment is pronounced, it is but the severity of love and sympathy. The author does not raise her own voice in re- proach : it is the voice of history which is resounding, the voice of the deeply understood, clearly set forth, and perspicuously illustrated history of Jewish women. Oh, that the modern Jewess would listen to the ad- monition of the voice ! That she would take to heart the duty to preserve intact her noble inheritance ! I hope that this book will be largely read by Jewish wojneji. If they should gain by it nothing but the comprehen- sion of the delight and elevation which a diligent read- ing in the Bible is sure to impart, and reverence for the sacred language, and the treasures enshrined therein, it would be sufficient to prove a rich blessing to them. This book, drawn from the deep well of a race his- tory covering three thousand years, will most assuredly prove, not only a mirror to proud consciousness of Jewish women, but also become an incentive to self- conscious improvement and elevation. Ma\ God grant it ^ LAZARUS. BERI.IN, 1 89 1. —— TABLE OF CONTENTS, PAGE. Preface, 7 Chapter I. Antiquity, . 15 Chap. II. Christian Idea about Wom- an AND Marriage, . 29 Chap. III.~Ish and Ishah, ... 42 Chap. IV.