In The Jewish Problem and An Epistle to the Hebrews, the poet and activist Emma Lazarus brings her brilliance to one of the most pressing issues of her time: violence against Jews in the Russian Empire. In a series of prescient essays that later led her to be called "The Mother of Zionism"-written while she was working on "The New Colossus"-Lazarus laid out her view on the need for a Jewish home in its historical land, as well as why American Jewry had the responsibility to ensure its people across the world had safe refuge from endless waves of antisemitism.