In the 70th anniversary year of the unveiling of “The New Colossus” sonnet on the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty, Brooklyn Borough President Sebastian Leone has asked for the enrollment of its author, the noted Jewish poetess, Emma Lazarus, in the Hall of Fame of Great Americans at New York University.
In a letter to Dr. Russell D. Niles, director of the Hall, Leone said: “The beauty of the sonnet (unveiled at the Statue of Liberty in 1903) which welcomes all to the Port of New York, has established the fame of the late Ms. Lazarus throughout the world.”
Leone noted that Emma Lazarus, a native New Yorker, who died in 1897 at the age of 38, devoted much of her writings to justice and freedom for all, particularly the immigrants to our shores. She was also an early advocate and supporter of equal rights for women. “I speak for all the freedom loving people of Brooklyn when I join the Emma Lazarus Foundation of Jewish Women’s Clubs in respectfully petitioning the election of Emma Lazarus to the New York University Hall of Fame of Great Americans in 1973.” Leone wrote.
Officer NEW YORK . WASHINGTON . PARIS . LONDON . JERUSALEM . TEL AVIV . JOHANNESBURG . BUENOS AIRES . SAO PAULO . LIMA Correspondents Ins UNITED NATIONS . CHICAGO . LOS ANGELES . TUCSON . MONTREAL . TORONTO . MEXICO CITY . CARACAS . SANTIAGO de CHILE . RIO de JANEIRO . BONN . BRUSSELS . AMSTERDAM . ROME . ATHENS . COPENHAGEN . VIENNA . GENEVA
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
