Did Jew Know? I Sure Didn't

A liturgical work Yose ben Yose, 5th century

  Studying Allen Ginsberg this past week in poetry class made me start to wonder the roots of Jewish American Literature, more particularly Jews involved in poetry. Jews in literature date all the way back to the 5th Century with a man named Yose ben Yose, who, although little is known of his life, is the first poet of Jewish descent to begin writing original poetry (although Yose's work was primarily liturgical). As time went one, Jewish poets began to emerge. However, it wasn't until the 13th Century that Jews began to start taking poetry seriously as a profession. One of the leaders of this movement was Rabbi Abraham Abulafia who, throughout his life, was condemned for his unorthodox views and writings, and thus traveled around Europe encouraging others to express themselves freely.

   One event in American history that had a great deal of impact on Jewish Poetry was Immigration during the 1910s and 20s. Many Jews and other ethnicities were considered by many "unassaimible," and thus many Jews that came over in this time sought out to destroy this theory through their writing. 

  Although all this is well and good, the real start of the Jewish poet movement began post-World War II, when most Jews started to write about the horrors of war and their opinions and such. As I was researching Jewish poetry, I came across a very powerful poem written by a Polish Jew named Itzhak Katzenelson, who lived in  a Polish Ghetto throughout World War II until he was sent to Aushwitz where he eventually died. This poem is called "I Had Dream"

I had a dream,

a terrible dream:

my people was no more, my people 

disappeared.

I rose screaming:

Ah! Ah!

What I have dreamed

is happening now! 

Oh, God in heaven! -- 

Shuddering I shall cry:

what for and why

did my people die?

What for and why 

in vain did it die?

Not in a war,

not in battle . . .

the young, the old,

and women and babies so little -- --

are no more, no more:

wring your hands! 

Thus I'll cry in sorrow

both day and night:

What for, my Lord,

dear God, why?

Ginsberg Preaching his Message in Washington, 1966

  Thus leads us to the area of study that we have begun to tackle in our poetry class, the Beat Generation. The reason Jews became such an important group of people in this movement was because of people like Allen Ginsberg, who wasn't afraid to stick up for what he believed in and turn away from conformity. Thats why I find the connection of all Jewish Poets and Poetry so interesting. I'm sure from the time of Yose ben Yose, to the World War Two Era and Kalzenelson, all the way to Ginsberg, Jews were always discouraged, and thus had great inspiration for their writing. Below is a clip from the upcoming movie "Howl" starring James Franco as Allen Ginsberg. One can just tell from this clip how powerful Ginsberg's words were on a generation where few stood up to conformity. 

  

  

-Source: Jewish American Poetry