Project Witness is pleased to announce its Second Annual National Competition for Jewish high schools and middle schools. Last year’s competition yielded an exceptional response. The emotional depths and the creativity that were plumbed by hundreds of students in a variety of literary and artistic formats motivated us to continue with this innovative project. Therefore, it is with heightened expectations that we announce, 75 years after liberation, that the theme of this year’s competition will be Building a World After War: The Uplifting Story of the She’aris Hapleita.
Approximately 250,000 survivors of the concentration camps, as well as the additional thousands of Jewish refugees who joined them from across Europe, emerged from the years of terror and loss to begin their lives anew. Their courage and their determination to rebuild a shattered world played an integral role in the evolution of current Jewish history.
It was up to the She’aris Hapleitah, the surviving members of a world destroyed but not forgotten, to rebuild…and it was upon the three pillars of our religious conviction — Torah, Avodah, and Gemillus Chasadim — that this new world was built.
The competition is open to classes and students from grades 8 through 12 registered in any Jewish school in North America.
In conjunction with Project Witness’ first Teacher Training Webinar of this academic year, Mrs. Nechama Mirsky, Associate Principal of Shevach High School in Queens, will formally introduce the competition and its guidelines for the various forms of creative expression that will be welcomed.
In the webinar, Mrs. Mirsky will also provide extensive background about She’aris Hapleita for use by teachers in the classroom. Registered schools will receive copies of the research material (Source Book) that has been prepared for this competition. As with all PW webinars, this program will be live-streamed for educators to access throughout the country.
Winning submissions in each category will receive cash prizes and will be publicized in the press, while participating schools will be acknowledged publicly for their excellence in disseminating Holocaust History.
Important Dates
- Submission deadline: Thursday, December 19, 2019
- Judging and Awards Ceremony: Asara B’Teves – Tuesday, January 7th, 2020
For more information please contact Project Witness at 718-305-5221