Rachel; or, The Inheritance

Born in Bordeaux into an influential French Sephardic family, Eugénie Foa wrote on Jewish themes for the general public, as well as for children. Sympathetic to many ideals of the 1848 revolutions, she also contributed to early feminist publications such as La voix des femmes that year. Foa was the first woman in France to support herself on her own writings.  Foa’s novels featured strong protagonists, Jewish women who forged their own way, independent of fathers or husbands. Scion of a prominent Sephardic family, abolitionist, feminist, and champion of children’s rights, Foa lived the paradox of so many Jews of this period. Although she herself converted to Catholicism, her works are notable for their Jewish heroines who, despite loving Christian men, retain pride in their heritage.