Benvenida Abrabanel

Benvenida Abrabanel (died 1560) was a philanthropist and businesswoman born in Naples, the daughter of Joseph Abrabanel. Her family was originally from Spain; when the Jews were expelled from Spain in 1492, the Abrabanels left for Naples. She was the tutor to Eleonora de' Medici. She married her first cousin Samuel Abrabanel. The government of Naples forced the Jewish people out of the city in 1541; she moved with her husband to Ferrara. In Ferrara, Abrabanel hosted salons in her home. Her husband died in 1547; Abrabanel took over the business he had run. She also donated money to the poor Jews in the city. She died in 1560.