In 2006, President George W. Bush proclaimed May as Jewish American Heritage Month to recognize the contributions made by Jewish Americans to the culture—in the arts, sciences, history, government, and more. 

Honor and celebrate Jewish American poetic voices with this collection of contemporary and classic work, including essays and archival material. 


Contemporary Poems for Jewish American Heritage Month


“Patients” by Aurora Levins Morales

“Letter Spoken in Wind” by Rachel Galvin

“perspectives on the second world war” by Irena Klepfisz

“Kaddish, Part I” by Allen Ginsberg

“Mazel Tov” by Jessica Jacobs 

“Had the Vines Budded, Were the Pomegranates in Bloom” by S. Brook Corfman

“If You Knew” by Ellen Bass

“Memorial Day for the War Dead” by Yehuda Amichai

“Aspen Tree” by Paul Celan 

“[Night after night, what she saw in her sleep]” by Yerra Sugarman

“The Two” by Philip Levine 

“Montpeyroux Sonnets 7” by Marilyn Hacker

From “Elegy in Joy” by Muriel Rukeyser 

“Gabriel” by Adrienne Rich

“A Patriotic Leading” by Gertrude Stein

“Doors opening, closing on us” by Marge Piercy

“When Love” by Alicia Ostriker 

“The Coming of Light” by Mark Strand 

“In the Happo-En Garden, Tokyo” by Linda Pastan

“A Part of Speech [As for the stars they are always on] (audio only)” by Joseph Brodksy

“Dearly Departed, Again I Dreamt About a Ship” by Camonghne Felix

“Politics of Elegy” by Sam Sax

“Losing the Narrative” by Lynn Melnick 

“Day, Daylong” by Alvin Feinman