We’re excited to share VJWP’s most recent article by Michele Klein.

Hannah Merton was an average middle-class Anglo-Jewish woman living in the Victorian period.

She was not a famous writer, but she wrote the copious amounts of journal entries about her daily life, which included her thoughts and beliefs on Judaism and anti-Semitism, as well as her typical Yom Tov menus. As such, she provides fascinating and important details about the lives of nineteenth-century Jewish women.

We are truly privileged to have pages from her diaries, given to us by the author of this article, Michele Klein, who is a descendant of Merton. We met Klein’s daughter at a recent conference where we presented on the Victorian Jewish Writers Project, and she put us in touch with her mother, who is their family historian.

We hope you’ll take a look at the entry, especially as we have some wonderful photos provided by the author.