Theme for 2013:
“Thou shalt not be a victim, thou shalt not be a perpetrator, but, above all, thou shalt not be a bystander.” ¯ Yehuda Bauer
In your writing, reflect on how this quotation from an Israeli scholar expresses a powerful lesson from the Holocaust.
Suggestions for teachers: We are looking for work that focuses on the Holocaust as an inspiration for a world that is free of racism, disrespect and intolerance. Last year, we focused on bullying as a first step towards more serious injustices. This year’s theme goes further: our duty to step in when we see abuses. Our hope is for students to feel that they can impact the future in their everyday relations with their peers, and express this message in their writing. Your students cannot change the past, but they can change the future. Please discourage the usual symbols and platitudes and encourage students to look forward to what kind of world we could have if we take the lessons of the Holocaust to heart.
Because of the large volume of entries we receive each year – both art and writing – please try to send us only your students’ best work.
Important: this year we are asking teachers to e-mail entries to us rather than sending them through the mail. This will simplify and expedite the process for you and us both. You need to include a cover sheet with the student’s name and grade, teacher’s name, and school; the entry itself should not include any of this information, in order to ensure anonymity in judging. Entries coming directly from students will not be accepted – they need to come through a teacher, except in the case of home-schooled students.
Send to: JPhares@jfgd.net
Your entry can be fiction, nonfiction, prose, drama or poetry.
DIVISIONS: Division I is for grades 5, 6, 7, and 8. Division II is for grades 9-12. Students at any greater Dayton area school, public, parochial or private, as well as home-schooled, are eligible.
AWARDS: Monetary awards will be given for First, Second, Third Place and Honorable Mention.
GUIDELINES:
Entries must represent the independent and unassisted work of the student under whose name they are submitted. Proofreading for corrections by a parent or teacher is acceptable, but content must not come from anyone but the author.
Entries will be judged for originality, content, and understanding of the subject.
Entries become the property of the Dayton Holocaust Resource Center, which reserves the right to publish them in part or in their entirety.
PLEASE NOTE that the deadline is Friday, March 1, 2013. Winners will be notified soon after that date, and will be announced at the annual Yom haShoah commemoration at Temple Beth Or on Sunday, April 7, 2013.
questions? e-mail rene @ daytonholocaust.org