Born: 20 September 1890, Russia
Died: 16 April 1931
Country most active: Israel
Also known as: רחל, Rah-khel, Rachel the Poetess, רחל המשוררת, Rah-khel ha-meshoreret, Rachel Bluwstein Sela
The following bio was written by Emma Rosen, author of On This Day She Made History: 366 Days With Women Who Shaped the World and This Day In Human Ingenuity & Discovery: 366 Days of Scientific Milestones with Women in the Spotlight, and has been republished with permission.
Rachel Bluwstein Sela is known by her first name, Rachel (Hebrew: רחל – Rah-khel), or as Rachel the Poetess (רחל המשוררת – Rah-khel ha-meshoreret).
She was a Hebrew poet who began her poetry journey at the age of 15 and later moved to Palestine in 1909, becoming an active Zionist pioneer. In her poetry, she explored themes of longing, loss, fate, and death within the landscapes of Israel. Rachel’s work was characterized by lyrical simplicity and often reflected the Acmeist (modernist Guild of Poets) movement’s pursuit of clarity and conciseness in poetry. She also identified with Biblical figures such as Rachel and Michal in some of her poems. Rachel passed away in Tel Aviv at the age of 40, leaving behind a lasting legacy in Hebrew literature.
She was buried in the Kinneret cemetery, overlooking the Sea of Galilee, in accordance with her expressed wishes in her poem “If Fate Decrees.” Her poetry, initially encouraged and published by Zalman Rubashov (later Zalman Shazar, the third President of Israel), gained popularity within the Jewish community in Palestine and later in the State of Israel.