Yehuda Amichai (1924-2000) is one of the best recognized Hebrew poets of the second half of the 20th century. Born in Germany, he came to Mandatory Palestine as a child and was raised in Jerusalem where he lived most of his life. His many volumes of poetry are rich in tonality and imagery, encompassing themes from intimate love to issues of Jewish history including the Shoah and Israeli statehood. His poetry is widely quoted, set to music and taught in schools and universities. In his late poetry Amichai expressed his support for peace building with Palestinians and Arabs in general. Amichai’s poetry is translated to over forty languages, he has been awarded many international prizes and honors and he was regularly nominated for the Nobel Prize in literature during the last decades of his life. He also published several novels and dramatic works. Amichai is perhaps the closest to what may nowadays be called an Israeli national poet.