Shema Israel! – a poem by Erich Fried

JVL Introduction

This poem by Erich Fried was first published in 1967, after the events it describes.

The Israeli Socialist Organisation, Matzpen, reposted it with an English translation in 1970.

It seems an appropriate moment to revisit it.

We have used the more usual spelling of Shema, rather than the Sch’mah in the Matzpen post.

On the significance of the Shema, see here for example.

RK (h/t BR)

This article was originally published by Matzpen on Sun 15 Mar 1970. Read the original here.