Emma Lazarus Project

Explore the Resources from the Emma Lazarus Project

The Emma Lazarus Project Video

This video was made possible (in part) by funds granted by The Covenant Foundation. The statements made and views expressed, however, are solely the responsibility of the author(s).

Emma’s Sitting Room

Opened in Winter 2019, this exhibit situates the genesis of the New Colossus poem in a brownstone sitting room, where the author, Emma Lazarus, immersed herself in the debates and literature of the day. Read and discuss Emma’s words and immerse yourself in the issues of the time.

An Interactive Storybook

The life and Work of

EMMA LAZARUS

The American Jewish Historical Society

Teacher’s Curriculum

Bring the story of Emma Lazarus to your classroom. Most famous for writing The New Colossus, Emma’s life and legacy will inspire your students to participate in the ongoing conversation of what it means to be an American.

What will my students do?

Examine and interpret primary sources
Make connections between the past and present – Emma’s life and theirs today
Use their voice to engage in the issues that matter to them
Write a poem that expresses what it means for them to be American

Poetry Content Winners and Finalists

In the first year of the contest, AJHS received over 350 submissions from poets across the country. Read and find inspiration from the poems written by the 2020 winners and finalists in this online interactive gallery.

Translation Project

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command

Non pas comme l’arrogant géant de renommée grecque 
Franchissant terres et mers de son pas conquérant,
Ici, à nos portes baignées par les flots et le soleil couchant 
Se tiendra une femme puissante portant une torche,
Dans laquelle la foudre est emprisonnée.
Son nom est Mère des Exilés. Son flambeau rayonne,
annonce la bienvenue au monde entier; son regard clément

Не дерзкий грек, не воин-покоритель
всех, что охватит взор, земель и вод –
с похищенною молнией встает
она – гонимых покровитель,
отвергнутых, всех тех, что гонит ветер
нужды и распри, рабства гнойный гнет –
к закатной гавани у западных ворот,

Distinto del gigante descarado de los antiguos griegos
que con cada pierna conquistaba un continente:
acá en nuestra entrada que limpia el mar del atardecer
habrá una poderosa mujer con una antorcha
repleta de relámpago, y se va a llamar
Madre de los Exiliados. Desde su mano iluminada
brilla la bienvenida a todo el mundo. Sus ojos mansos

,שֶׁלֹּא כְּמוֹ הַנָּפִיל הַיְּוָנִי הַיָּהִיר
,עִם רַגְלַיִם עֲנָקִיּוֹת מְפֻשָּׂקוֹת בֵּין חוֹף לְחוֹף
כָּאן תַּעֲמֹד בַּשְּׁעָרִים שְׁטוּפֵי יָם בִּשְׁקִיעָה
אִישָּׁה אַדִּירָה עִם לַפִּיד, שֶׁשַּׁלְהַבְתּוֹ
הִיא בָּרָק כָּלוּא, וּשְׁמָהּ הוּא
אֵם הַגָּלוּיוֹת. הַמַּשּׂוּאָה שֶׁבְּיָדָהּ
זוֹהֶרֶת לְכָל עֵבֶר בְּבִרְכַּת הַבָּאִים, עֵינֶיהָ הַפַּיְסָנִיּוֹת צוֹפוֹת

New Colossus Essays

Essay by Alicia Ostriker

“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,” proclaims the Mother of Exiles, in words that reverberate today…

Essay by Mihaela Moscaliuc

When Principal Deputy Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Ken Cuccinelli suggested, in August 2019, that immigrants be welcomed if “they can stand on their own two feet, be self-sufficient, pull themselves up by their bootstraps…