Rachel Morpurgo - 19th-century Italian Jewish poet

Israel Furth, Rabbi in Straskonig, lauded her and her writing in both prose and poetry (KY 16 ([1852]: 10-11). He commended her on her resolve to write, pointing out that insofar as most women were interested only in jewels, she desired to devote her time to Torah and learning. Moses J. Finkelstein from Jassy wrote that he had been totally overcome by Rachel's poetry, stating that she was queen to Hebrew writers, and expressing his utmost respect for her (KYl7 [1852]:81). Much like Langbank and Furth, Jakob Sperling commended Rachel on her spiritual yearnings which were in stark contradistinction to the ways of the majority of women. He expressed his hope that poets from all over would come and chant her glorious name forever (KY 18 [1853]: 71-72). Giuseppe Levi Gatinnara, chief Rabbi of Casale, beckoned all to observe the miracle of God. He contended that those who prevent women from "the secret of the Book" have erred, enlisting in the substantiating of his argument the biblical figures of Miriam, Deb orah, Hannah, Esther, Rachel. He concluded by asserting that she would put to shame other Italian Jewish Hebrew-speakers (KY 21 [1856]: 2). Leopold Winkler compared Rachel to the biblical female personalities of Rebekah, Rachel, Leah, Miriam, Deborah, Hannah, pointing out the various ways in which she surpassed each of them. Deborah, for example, also composed poetry, but did not subscribe to the biblical words "Let the mouth of another praise you" (Proverbs 27:2), intimating that Rachel Morpurgo was humble, but nevertheless renowned in all corners of the earth. Hannah said words of glory in the House of God, but was jealous of Penninah. No traces of this trait may be found in Rachel, he noted, for there were no other poetesses with whom to compete (KY24 [1858]:92-93). The poem of the editor of Kokhevei Yizhak, Max Emanuel Stern, appeared in the same issue as well. He devoted the lion's share of his work to the enigma of why Rachel's voice had ceased to be heard, wondering why her spark had extinguished. He u rged her to "spread out her brilliance on the pages of Kokhevei Yizhak as of old." (KY24 [1858]:95-96. For other writings of these authors in Kokhevei Yizhak, see: Bernhard Wachstein, Die Hebraische Publizistik in Wien [Wien: Selbstverlag der Historischen Kommission, 1930], p. 40 [Ehrentheil]; pp. 19-20 [Boss]; pp. 110-111 [Langbank]; pp. 61-62 [Furth]; p.50 [Finkelstein]; pp. 213-214 [Sperling]; p. 63 [Gattinara]; p. 245 [Winkler]; pp.216-223 [Stern]).

(39.) Dov Sadan, Avnei Bohan (Hebrew) (Tel-Aviv: Mahbarot le-Sifrut, 1951), p. 10; Dov Sadan, Avnei Gevul (Hebrew) (Tel-Aviv: Massada, 1964), p. 36; Shmuel Feiner, "The Modern Jewish Woman: A Test-Case in the Relationship between Haskalah and Modernity" (Hebrew), in Sexuality and the Family in History, edited by Israel Bartal and Isaiah Gafni (Jerusalem: Zalman Shazar Center for Jewish History, 1998): 253-303.

(40.) Dan Miron, "Why Was There No Women's Poetry in Hebrew Before 1920?," in Gender and Text in Modern Hebrew and Yiddish Literature, edited by Naomi B. Sokoloff, Anne Lapidus Lerner, and Anita Norich (New York: The Jewish Theological Seminary, 1992), p. 65.