In her memoirs, Pauline Wengeroff gives an account on the life of a Russian-Jewish woman in the 19th century. Throughout the book Wengeroff explains the traditional Jewish rituals and how throughout the transitions of the Jewish enlightenment, those social and cultural traditions are reshaped; as well as how her family is transformed throughout time. Wengeroff’s accounts give insight into how modernization affected the Eastern European Jewry by disintegrating the traditional Jewish life, leading to a more secular Judaism. Wengeroff starts off her memoirs by examining how life was in her early years, living in Brest. The roles of her parents in her household were clearly defined. Her father manufactured bricks but most importantly was a successful Talmud scholar. Her mother in contrast was a formidable force in the household, enforcing traditional behavior and parental authority.
Wengeroff give some examples on her childhood as to how Jews separated men and women in a religious sense. She recalls how when she was young, her schoolmates pushed her into the men’s section of the synagogue, which even though it was deserted at that point, it is very forbidden for a woman to enter ; Wengeroff felt frightened being where she was not allowed. This gives us insight into the importance that Judaism had on her…show more content… Now instead of dressing up based on the customs that distinguished them, they had to follow the new Russian ordinances that mandate what to wear and what not to wear. This law made the social differences between men and women less noticeable as both were affected. Women had to wear specific caps to cover their heads instead of their headdress. Meanwhile men were not allowed to have peyes and were each punished and publicly ridiculed if they did not follow the