Yakov Azriel

Yakov Azriel (born 1950) is an Israeli poet who writes in English.

Life
Azriel was born Gerald Rosenkrantz in New York City in 1950. He earned a B.A., summa cum laude, in English literature at Brooklyn College in 1971.

After graduating he moved to Israel, where he changed his name to Yakov Azriel. He studied at the Mercaz HaRav Kook Yeshiva, in Jerusalem, and the Har-Etzion Yeshiva, in Alon-Shvut, Israel, and later earned an M.A., with distinction, and a doctorate in Judaica, concentrating on the stories of Rabbi Nachman of Braslav..

He began submitting poems to magazines in 2000. Over 160 of his poems on Biblical and Jewish themes have been published in journals in the U.S., the U.K., and Israel since then. His debut collection of poems, Threads from a Coat of Many Colors: Poems on Genesis, was published by Time Being Books, in 2005. His 2nd book of poetry, In the Shadow of a Burning Bush: Poems on Exodus, was published in 2008; his third, Beads for the Messiah's Bride: Poems on Leviticus, in 2009; and his fourth, Swimming in Moses' Well: Poems on Numbers, in 2011 — all by Time Being Books.

Recognition
Threads from a Coat of Many Colors was nominated for several awards, including the National Jewish Book Award, in the U.S., and the President's Prize for Literature (awarded by the President of Israel).

His poems have won 12 prizes in international poetry competitions, including:
 * 1st place in the 2004 Miriam Lindberg Poetry for Peace Prize,
 * Honorable Mention in the 2004 Annual Poetry Contest sponsored by ''Poetica magazine,
 * 4th place in the 2004 Reuben Rose International Poetry Competition,
 * Semi-Finalist in the Pablo Neruda Prize in Poetry Competition 2005, sponsored by Nimrod magazine
 * Finalist in the 2006 International Poetry Competition sponsored by Binnacle magazine,
 * Honorable Mention in the 2006 poetry contest sponsored by Inspirit magazine
 * 2nd place in the 2006 Dancing Galliard Sonnet Contest.

He was twice awarded fellowships from the Memorial Foundation for Jewish Culture, for his poetry, in 2004–2005 and in 2009–2010.