Halevi, << hah LAY vee, >> Judah (1075?-1141?), was one of the greatest Hebrew poets of the Middle Ages. His poetry included both national and religious songs, and dealt with the suffering and hopes of the Jewish people. Many of his hymns to Zion (the land of Israel), called “Zionids,” are still read in Jewish religious services. He was also a physician and a religious philosopher, His most important philosophical work was Sefer ha-Kuzari, or al-Khazari, an eloquent defense and profound explanation of Judaism. Halevi was born in Toledo, Spain.
