Tales of our Homeland #14: To My Land

Notes and further reading:

Rachel the Poet holds a place of honor in Israeli history and culture. She was a pioneering kibbutznik, and is remembered as the first female poet of modern Hebrew. We are presenting our translation of אל ארצי into English and images as an expression of her Labor Zionist life and passion. We think it says so much more than a summary of her short life could. She avoided flowery language, while expressing emotions in a clear voice. So while this isn’t a typical issue of Tales of Our Homeland, we’d rather have Rachel speak to you herself. Like many of her poems, this one has often been turned into song.

Michael Unterberg (author) and Zvi Ron (artist) have been making comics together since they were classmates in Yeshivah of Flatbush elementary school. They both live in Gush Etzion.

Please do not reuse without permission from the authors. Thank you.

About the Author

Rabbi Doctor Zvi Ron made Aliyah in 1986, learned in Yeshivat Shaalvim and served as a shooting instructor in the IDF. After receiving Smicha from the Israeli Rabbanut, he and his wife, Sharon, went on Shlichut to Richmond, Virginia where he served as Rabbi of Keneseth Beth Israel Synagogue for 10 years. The Rons moved to Israel in 2004 and live with their four children in Neve Daniel, Gush Etzion. He is the author of two books on Tanach: Sefer Katan V'Gadol and Sefer Ha'Ikar Chaser as well as dozens of articles in numerous publications. He is editor of The Jewish Bible Quarterly and he was a contestant on the game show The Weakest Link.