Unveiling History: The Diary of Glikl of Hameln, a Young Jewish Historian

Around 350 years ago, a young Jewish girl maintained a historical autobiographical diary illustrating her life from childhood in the Jewish communities where she lived. As she grew, she became a respected and renowned businesswoman, yet she continued to document her life in her diary. Her writings became widely known and offer a captivating historical insight into Jewish life during that period.

Glikl married at the age of 14, a practice that was sometimes common due to various governmental decrees, and moved to the town of Hameln, her husband's place. She describes the transition saying: "I was a child... and I had to stay without my father and mother in a foreign land with strangers... I was a young girl, raised with all the comforts... Coming from a city like Hamburg... Hameln itself is a shabby and unremarkable place. But none of this mattered to me because of the pleasure I received from my father-in-law".

Hameln was indeed a small and unimpressive town. It might be known to some from the famous German children's story, "The Pied Piper of Hamelin".

However, Glikl did not follow the piper, and soon left Hameln, finding no interest there. She moved with her husband to the bustling city of Hamburg, where her first daughter, Tsippur, was born. Simultaneously, Glikl's mother also gave birth to a daughter, and they were both cared for together: "We had no peace due to the many people rushing to witness the marvel: mother and daughter, both giving birth, lying in one room".

Glikl was very joyful with her home life, writing about herself and her husband: "I believe there was never a happier or more beloved couple than us"...

One day, Glikl's daughter Tsippur developed a purulent sore. This caused panic in the Jewish community out of fear that the city's duke might hear of a plague outbreak in the community. It was decided to secretly send the child to a village outside the city with a maid, for her to stay temporarily in a non-Jewish home. Glikl writes: "We had to part from our dear child... I leave it to any decent father or mother to judge our state of mind... I don't think our forefather Abraham suffered more at the time of the binding than we did then". After recovering, Tsippur was allowed to return home.

Tsippur married at age 12 in Amsterdam. By this time, Glikl had become a famed businesswoman, and among the dignitaries attending the wedding were the sons of Frederick William, the Great Elector of Brandenburg, Princes Karl Emil and Frederick.

Glikl owned a stocking factory that sold luxurious stockings in the well-known markets of Amsterdam, Leipzig, Berlin, Vienna, Metz, and Paris.

She describes the outbreak of one of the wars with the Swedes: "It was a very cold winter... Suddenly, on Shabbat, came the cry 'The Swede is coming!' It was still morning, we lay in bed. We all jumped up, oh dear, naked and exposed from our beds and ran... into town, where we had to find shelter, some with Sephardim and some with locals". Later, they returned home, and hid ten refugees in their attic.

And she describes the beginning of the belief in the messianic claims of Shabbatai Tzvi: "The young Portuguese lads donned their finest clothes each time and girded themselves with a broad green silk sash - this was Shabbatai Tzvi's attire. Thus they all went with tambourines and dances in their Beit Kenesset and joy, as joyous as the Water-Drawing Ceremony, reading the letters. Some, poor souls, sold all they had, house and land, merely hoping daily for redemption".

Glikl was married for 30 years and had 14 children. Her writings depict the life of the Jewish community in Western Europe around 350 years ago, offering a fascinating historical account of the events of the period. Her words are interwoven with broad knowledge of the Torah, Midrashim, and moral teachings.