Rebecca was born to Miriam and Michael Gratz on March 4, 1781 in Lancaster, Pennsylvanian. Rebecca was the seventh child out of twelve children. Her family moved to Philadelphia when she was very young so that her father was able to take full advantage of the waters and ports surrounding the Philadelphia area, the capital of America at that time. Michael Gratz and his brother Barnard became very affluent as their business took off throughout Philadelphia. Because of her father's high social standing, Rebecca associated with the most prosperous and affluent people in the Philadelphia area. She was accustomed to the company of "literary people who gathered in Philadelphia" and was use to going to "prestigious assembly balls as well as private tea parties, cotillions, and informal gatherings at the homes of the well educated among the social aristocracy" (Ashton 51). Rebecca had many advantages which many girls her age were not use to having. Her father was able to provide her with a complete library in their home as well as an education that was unattainable to many young girls her age.

Rebecca was an advent letter writer. This was a huge part of her daily life that enabled her to keep in contact with many of her family members, friends, and friend's spouses and children. She was able to learn a great deal from letters sent to her and express her beliefs and thoughts in her letters to others. She was not interested in the family business and decided to instill her time into writing letters, caring for her family and community work. Throughout her life she never married and never saw the need to have a spouse nor a family of her own. She did love children dearly and had the honors of having twenty-seven nieces and nephews and the honor of raising her deceased sister's children.

When Rebecca began to realize that the family life most women enjoyed was not for her, she became an active member in her community and was know for her involvement in many associations and community events. The first group Rebecca became involved in was a group know as, The Female Association for the Relief of Women and Children in Reduced Circumstances (abr. FA). Rebecca entered into the committee at the mere age of twenty and remained in it throughout her life. The group consisted of both Jewish and Christian women looking to provide aid to "elite women whose families had lost their wealth" (Ashton 61). These women were not needy and were other wise know as having a reduction in their normal income and assists. Because the 19th century was a time in which men and women were unsure of how their finances would go, the group provided relief to many women in complete confidant. Rebecca was regarded highly throughout the association and was held solely responsible for many of its decisions. Because she was not married she was able to hold onto more property and goods than women of her time who did make the decision to marry.

From this association came her involvement in the Hebrew Benevolent Society. This Society was formed in 1819 and was meant to "provide food, fuel, clothing, and other necessities and hoped to promote Jewish education when funding increased" (Ashton 100). Gratz felt the need for women to keep Judaism as much in their home as possible. She was willing to help and was desperately trying to build the funds to provide further help to these women. Gratz fully understood that in order to maintain Jewish customs in the home American customs and values would be present and would need attention as well. With the incoming of many poor Jewish immigrants, many were unable to live their Jewish life accordingly. Gratz's main purpose was to bring forth methods and help so that Jews would not forget their heritage and would not adapt to the Christian customs which many Americans were pressuring them to turn to.

Gratz's greatest accomplishment was the Hebrew Sunday School. Gratz felt that Philadelphia desperately needed a school in which Jewish children could avoid evangelism and a school that would prepare them to be good Jews. This school was one in which Jews were able to send both boys and girls to (unlike the norm of only boys). The school instilled Jewish beliefs and values as well as a proper education. With Gratz as the schoolmaster, the school adhered to very strict rules and was quit an achievement for the Jewish community. These three organizations were the first of their kind that gave to the Jewish community. The associations were able to help the under privileged, provide Jewish mothers and children with an education, and provided Jews with information about their religion, allowing them to incorporate there customs into there home while still attaining to a American lifestyle. Gratz last big accomplishment was her involvement in the first Jewish foster home in the United States, which helped hundreds of needing children in the Philadelphia area.

Throughout the book Ashton has brought to our attention how the Jewish community flourished over the years and became significantly more important to those to in Philadelphia as years passed. Ashton uses Gratz as an example of a Jewish woman who was well educated, friendly, and had the enormous desire to instill Jewish customs back into her community. Ashton clearly presents to us the fear in Gratz and many other Jews of their loss of identification with the pressures of American values and ways of life. The main concept that Ashton provides us throughout the book is that the Jewish community had to remain strong throughout many years to maintain their place in society and the rest of the world. As poor immigrants flooded America it was very easy for them to get swept up into the pressure of society to conform to the norm. Gratz intensively tried and instill the beliefs and Jewish customs back into many Jews who were about to give up their ethnicity and identification to pressures surrounding them.

Gratz did experience anti-Semitism throughout her life and fought back with those who challenged her and her religion. She strongly agreed that everyone should respect each others religions without pressuring people to conform to another religion, and that we all should have a general understanding of the religions surrounding us and do our best to understand them. In one section of the book Ashton discusses the pressured to conform to Christianity. Christian's evangelists would try to persuade many Jews to join their congregations through the printing and distribution of bibles. These Christians were not as prosperous of they would have liked to have been and only had the opportunity to convert quit a small number of Jews.

Ashton does not go into great detail into the religious aspects of Judaism. However there are a few brief pages in the book were she does discuss certain beliefs but not at all in great detail. This may be the only down fall of the book. I had hopes that I would learn more about Jewish beliefs and customs, but I was unable to find it throughout this book. She does however give a great detailed accountant of a young girl's life who blossoms into womanhood while maintaining her Jewish lifestyle. Ashton takes you into the life of an elite Jewish girls whom does not all into the pressures of society to abandon her religion. She allows the reader to see that Rebecca is a person just like everyone else, who is just trying to hold onto her religious beliefs in Philadelphia during an ever-changing time period. Throughout this book I felt as if Ashton portrayed the Jewish community as it truly was. She did not try to glamorize their lifestyles and religion or down play Judaism. She informed the reader the details of a young woman trying to make a difference in her lifetime.

The information throughout the book allowed me to see that maintaining Judaism throughout a nation was just as hard in the 19th century and it is today in the 20th century. With things and events constantly changing around us, it is difficult to maintain a lifestyle that is not the norm. Judaism had undergone some changes throughout time just as many religions have. I feel as if this is a good book for Jews and non-Jews to read because it provides the reader with an inside view of the struggles women were presented with and what was done to help many Jews throughout Philadelphia. I feel that Jews would appreciate this book and would enjoy seeing how one women persuade hundreds of Jews throughout Philadelphia to adhere to their beliefs and show pride in them. She provided her community with a positive insight as well as providing many women with food, shelter, and self-esteem.

Rebecca Gratz was a true woman of her day. She showed her true love of Judaism throughout her life. Encouraging and helping others was a normal part of her day. She felt complete and was thankful for what she was able to do throughout the Jewish community. She died on August 27, 1869, at age sixty-eight. Although the death of a great women was apparent her "institutions grew even more important to American Jewish life than they had been before" (Ashton 232). This was a great accomplishment for Rebecca as well as the Jewish community. She proved the Jewish community with many opportunities and supported her religion throughout her lifetime.