The Jewish culture has been a mesmerizing source of life, art, tragedy, and beauty for millennia.

Too often when we hear the word 'Jew' or 'Jewish' our responses go first to tragedy and stereotype, before perhaps we explore the richer background of the unique wonders of its culture, its forms of art and its embrace of life. To be Jewish is not a simple example of one person or one family; it is a collective form of identity. Jewish history has often been rightfully portrayed as difficult, as a people being unfairly oppressed and downtrodden, marked out for discrimination and even death. But Jewish history also has darker notes against others when in its own ascendancy.

We follow the poetry of Jewish Culture in this volume from its Biblical days to more modern times.

Poets have a unique perspective, they can question, put differing views and prejudices forward and begin debate. Here we explore the storied verse of Jewish poets who observe, feel and share all that they see around them from Amy Levy, Isaac Rosenberg and Anna Margolin to Solomon Ibn Gabirol and Jehudah Halevi.