Poem Sampler of Jewish Faith--For the Holidays

Jewish holidays are coming up.

Two holidays well-known to even non-Jewish folks are Rosh Hashanah the Jewish New Year (celebrated September 17 and 18, 2012) and Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement (celebrated September 26, 2012.)

This site has more info on Jewish holidays:

Jewish Holidays 

http://www.jewfaq.org/holiday0.htm 

Here are a few poems from the Poetry Foundation, just the beginnings,  that I especially enjoyed. Be sure to check out the rest.

Rosh Hashanah

To Him Who Is Feared
by Eleazar ben Kalir

To Him who is feared a Crown will I bring.
Thrice Holy each day acclaim Him my King;
At altars, ye mighty, proclaim loud His praise, . . .

The New Year
by Emma Lazarus

Not while the snow-shroud round dead earth is rolled,
And naked branches point to frozen skies.
When orchards burn their lamps of fiery gold, . . .

The Alphabet
by Karl Shapiro

The letters of the Jews as strict as flames
Or little terrible flowers lean
Stubbornly upwards through the perfect ages, . . . 

Yom Kippur 

Yom Kippur 1984
by Adrienne Rich

What is a Jew in solitude?
What would it mean not to feel lonely or afraid . . .

These Things I Do Remember
by Solomon Ephraim Ben Aaron of Lenczicz

These things I do remember; O I pour
My soul out for them. All the ages long
Hatred pursueth us; through all the years . . .

Open the Gates
by Anonymous

Open the gates—the gates of the Temple,
Swift to Thy sons, who Thy truths have displayed.
. . .

His Sovereignty
by Kalonymos ben Moses of Lucca

His sovereignty is o’er my gathered throng;
His glory is my faith within,
I seek Him for atonement of my sin— . . .

For We Are Thy People
by Anonymous

For we are thy people, and thou art our God;
We are thy children and thou our father.
We are thy servants, and thou art our master; . . .

The Alphabet
by Karl Shapiro

The letters of the Jews as strict as flames
Or little terrible flowers lean
Stubbornly upwards through the perfect ages, . . .
Thank you, Poetry Foundation

http://www.poetryfoundation.org/article/244356?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Poetryfoundationorg+Newsletter&utm_content=Poetryfoundationorg+Newsletter+CID_f478fb55666943971474c6135b0ec090&utm_source=Campaign+Monitor&utm_term=Poems+of+Jewish+Faith+and+Culture