The Girl Who Wrote: Luna Amron’s Book of Esther

Edited by Anna Nitsa-Kaplan

On the 10th of Adar 5527 (1767), Luna Amron—a 14-year-old Jewish girl from Rome—signed the page of blessings accompanying the Book of Esther scroll that she had written in her own hand. It is rare for manuscript scribes to record their age, and rarer still for the scribe to be a woman. Luna’s young age makes her achievement all the more remarkable.

For the first time, the exhibition presents Luna Amron’s Book of Esther scroll and accompanying page of blessings to the general public. This booklet explores three central themes arising from the exhibition: the halakhic considerations surrounding the writing of a Book of Esther scroll by a woman; the story of the Amron family and Rome’s Jewish community; and an overview of other rare manuscripts written by women in Italy. The discussion is richly illustrated with visual examples drawn from manuscripts, ceremonial objects, and archival materials.