Emma Lazarus was born in New York City in 1849 and is best known for her sonnet 'The New Colossus.' This poem, written in 1883 for an exhibition to support the Statue of Liberty’s pedestal, transformed the statue into a symbol of hope for immigrants arriving at New York Harbor. Lazarus was much more than a poet; she was a fierce advocate for Jewish refugees, a translator, and a significant figure in Jewish-American literature. Raised in a wealthy family, she had the support to pursue education and writing from a young age, publishing widely throughout her life.
Emma Lazarus was a prominent writer and activist known for her poem 'The New Colossus,' which turned the Statue of Liberty into a symbol of hope for immigrants.
Beyond her famous sonnet, Lazarus was an advocate for Jewish refugees, a translator of Heinrich Heine, and a pioneer of Jewish-American literature.
Esther Schorr noted that Lazarus was a groundbreaking figure, supporting feminism and Zionism long before those movements were widely recognized.
Raised in a wealthy Jewish family, Lazarus began writing poetry at a young age, encouraged by her father to pursue her education.
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