3. Each Rose By Zelda (1967)

Each rose is an island of the promised peace, the eternal peace.

In each rose dwells a sapphire bird whose name is "They shall beat their swords..."

And the light of the rose seems so near, and its fragrance so near, and the silence of its leaves so near, that island so near- take a boat and cross the sea of fire.

Translated by Marcia Lee Falk ______

*They shall beat their swords... From Isaiah 2:3-4: "Many peoples shall come and say, 'Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.' For out of Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the Lord from . He shall judge between the nations, and shall arbitrate for many peoples; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more." Swords to plowshares is a concept in which military weapons or technologies are converted for peaceful civilian applications.

Zelda Schneurson Mishkovsky (1914-1984), widely known as Zelda, was one of the finest and most beloved modern Israeli poets. Born in Russia, she was a descendant of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Menachem Mendel , also known as the Tzemach Tzedek. Her mother traced her ancestry to the Sephardic dynasty of Hen-Gracian, which dated back to 11th century Barcelona.

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The family settled in Jerusalem in 1926. Zelda attended a religious school for girls in British Palestine, and then studied at the Teachers' College of the Mizrachi movement. Zelda lived in , , and Jerusalem, working as a school teacher. One of her students was Amos Klausner, later the novelist , who writes movingly in his memoir, A Tale of Love and Darkness, about the lifelong impact her superb teaching and her love of children had on him.

In 1950 Zelda married Hayim Mishkovsky and from then on devoted herself to writing.

Penai (Free Time), her first collection of poetry, was published in 1967. With its emotive and contemplative images drawn from the world of Jewish mysticism, Hasidism, and Russian fairy tales, this collection established her reputation in the literary world. Several other volumes of poetry followed. Her poems, imbued with her deep faith and highly spiritual, but at same time very direct, colorful, and precise, touched the hearts of religious and secular people alike.

In 2004, a collection of Zelda's poetry appeared in English translation: The Spectacular Difference: Selected Poems of Zelda, translated and edited by Marcia Falk (Hebrew Union College Press).

Zelda received many literary awards, including the Brenner Prize, the Prime Minister's Prize for Hebrew Literary Works, the Wertheim Prize, and the , whose recipients are a Who's Who of 's greatest modern writers.