Poetry

Writing for love’s sake: The poetic world of Gad Kaynar-Kissinger - interview

Gad Kaynar-Kissinger channels his childhood wounds, Jewish-German ancestry into poetry that provokes and reveals.

Kaynar-Kissinger and his fellow actor brother, Doron, (L) put on a Holocaust-related stage production in Germany.
US Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks with US Vice President JD Vance (not pictured) during the inaugural Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) summit in Washington, DC, US, November 12, 2025.

Jilted lover releases erotic poetry allegedly written by Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

‘Poems as Invitations’ exhibition view.

‘Poems as Invitations’: An exhibition on English poetry in Jerusalem

Welcome poetry into your sukkah.

Rhyme & reason: The annual Ushpizin Festival returns to Jerusalem


Immanuel of Rome: The Jewish Dante

Immanuel was a source of inspiration to Baroque Hebrew poet Jacob Frances (1615-67) who called him the emperor of poets in praise of his satiric verse.

AT THE bustling fair: The demand for literature rose during the pandemic.

Grapevine March 13, 2022: The departing pillar of democracy

Movers and shakers in Israeli society.

 THE FOUNDING team of the Haifa Women’s Business Club.

Purim: A poem for the Jewish holiday

The poem reflects Paul Celan’s sense of an ultimatum and yet also a lightness that sometimes surprises, especially at the end of “The Meridian.”

 Irish hares outside Dublin Airport on December 3, 2021.

Color me curious: The colorful English language

When people are in the pink or feeling blue, seeing red, being green with envy or plum yellow, they may well be showing their “true colors.”

 A white elephant at the Amarapura Palace (Colesworthey Grant - A Series of Views in Burmah taken during Major Phayre's Mission to the Court of Ava in 1855).

Remembering Yehuda Amichai, Israel's great acclaimed poet

He was a poet of love, of war, of citizenry, of history – all at the same time.

 ISRAEL’S GREAT modern poet, 1986.

Ra’anana Symphonette brings Schubertiade to stage

The Schubertiade began in Franz Schubert’s lifetime (1797-1828) as a sociable, informal musical gathering, where musicians and music lovers would gather to hear and play music.

 THE RA’ANANA Symphonette Orchestra.

Kuwaiti poet: ‘Embrace Jews without having a political agenda’

US embassy Hanukkah message sparks antisemitic responses from Kuwaitis.

FILE PHOTO: Kuwait's Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah is seen during the Arab summit in Mecca, Saudi Arabia May 31, 2019

Thich Nhat Hanh, poetic peace activist and master of mindfulness, dies at 95

His week-long funeral will be held at the temple in a quiet and peaceful manner, according to his followers.

 French-Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh waves to the crowd at the Bo De pagoda in Hanoi.

A commentary on Colleyville, courtesy of Mordechai Gebertig - opinion

The italicized lines are from the poem “Es Brent,” written by Mordechai Gebertig in 1936 as he watched his shtetl destroyed in a pogrom.

Law enforcement vehicles are seen in the area where a man has reportedly taken people hostage at a synagogue during services that were being streamed live, in Colleyville, Texas, US, January 15, 2022.

From the editor: Speaking the truth

Rafi Dobrin sometimes overstated his case, but he made many salient points, which – like him – are worthy and worth remembering.  

 Ralph (Rafi) Dobrin