Rebecca Gratz was a preeminent Jewish American educator and philanthropist. Gratz was the seventh of twelve children born to Miriam Simon and Michael. Her mother was the daughter of Joseph Simon (1712-1804), a preeminent Jewish merchant of Lancaster, while her father was descended from a long line of respected rabbis. Miriam and Michael were observant Jews and active members of Philadelphia’s first synagogue, Mikveh Israel. Wikipedia
As the founder and secretary of Philadelphia's earliest women's philanthropic organizations, Rebecca Gratz helped define a new identity for American women. www.jwa.org/exhibits/wov/gratz/
The definitive Wikipedia entry for Rebecca Gratz. Wikipedia is the biggest multilingual free-content encyclopedia on the Internet. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rebecca_Gratz
