The Statue of Liberty Was Never Meant to Welcome Immigrants

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In part 2, Schwab and Yael explore how Emma Lazarus transformed the Statue of Liberty into a symbol of immigration. As Russian Jewish refugees arrived in New York, the privileged Sephardic poet left literary salons for Ward’s Island, fought antisemitism, advocated for Jewish self determination, and wrote “The New Colossus.” They explore her famous words added to the statue only years after her death, reshaping Lady Liberty’s meaning and America’s national identity.

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Listen to Part 1 in our series on Emma Lazarus.

How one Jewish poet changed the meaning of America: Emma Lazarus

Emma Lazarus descended from some of America’s oldest Sephardic Jewish families, including the Nathans and the Seixas family. Check out these episodes.

Why the first Jews in Colonial American Nearly Vanished

The Forgotten Jews of the American Revolution (Part 1)

The Jewish Fight Hidden Inside the Constitution (Part 2)

The New Colossus

By Emma Lazarus

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,With conquering limbs astride from land to land;Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall standA mighty woman with a torch, whose flameIs the imprisoned lightning, and her nameMother of Exiles. From her beacon-handGlows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes commandThe air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries sheWith silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

⁠Poems by Emma Lazarus⁠

Emma Lazarus by Esther Schor

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