Fresh Project: Emma Lazarus, Poet of Exiles

The Museum of Jewish Heritage hosted this major new exhibition in conjunction with the 125th anniversary of the dedication of the Statue of Liberty.

As the author of the famous lines Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free . . ., the poet Emma Lazarus gave voice to generations of newcomers to America, but her wider accomplishments are little-remembered today.

While her famous poem “The Colossus” has been closely associated with the Statue of Liberty, and the story of American immigration, for more than a century, Emma Lazarus, Poet of Exiles situates the poet’s life in her time, a Manhattan of literary salons, bustling Jewish social life, and a greater role for women in literary and day-to-day society of the era.