ABSTRACT
Jewish brides are traditionally given a dowry when they marry, often supplemented by a sum donated by the bridegroom’s family. The Jewish community, sometimes through an organization set up to that end, might help poor families unable to afford dowries. In the late sixteenth century, the Ashkenazim in Venice founded such an organization, as did the High German congregation in eighteenthcentury Amsterdam. They focused attention on their own local poor.
