LETTERS OF REBECCA GRATZ
1929 · Philadelphia
by GRATZ, Rebecca
Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 1929. 8vo, pp. 454. Edited, with an introduction and notes by Rabbi David Philipson. Frontis portrait, a photograph of the Gratz house, and a facsimile. Owner's bookplate on flyleaf, VG. Daughter of an old and prominent Jewish-American family, Gratz was active from a very early age in philanthropic causes. As early as 1801, when she was 21, she was secretary of the "Female Association for the Relief of Women and Children in Reduced Circumstances." She was one of the founders of the Philadelphia Orphan Society, the Hebrew Sunday School Society, and the Jewish Foster Home. She was admired for her sweet personality and nobleness of spirit, and was thought to be the model for Rebecca in Sir Walter Scott's Ivanhoe. (Inventory #: 30683)