Rebecca
Gratz was born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania on March 4,
1781. She was the seventh of twelve children born to
Miriam Simon and Michael Gratz. Miriam Simon was the
daughter of Joseph Simon, a preeminent Jewish merchant
of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Michael Gratz descended
from a long line of respected rabbis. Orphaned at an
early age, he and his brother Barnard immigrated to
Philadelphia from Silesia (now Germany), and amassed
considerable wealth as merchants. At the end of the
18th century, Philadelphia, the nation's capital, was
the most religiously and ethnically diverse American
city; the Gratz family traveled in its top
social circles. Miriam and Michael were observant
Jews who were also active members of Philadelphia's
earliest synagogue, Mikveh Israel, and their small
Jewish community. They were very concerned about
their children's education and acquired a considerable
library for them. Their efforts were well rewarded;
Rebecca's older sister, Richea, was the first woman to
attend college in America. As a child, Rebecca read
avidly and particularly enjoyed history and literary
classics. Her formal education is not well documented,
but she may have attended the Young Ladies Academy, a
well-known girl's school in Philadelphia.
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