The JCM Hosts the Award Ceremony for Holocaust Remembrance Scholarship Contest
Brooklyn, NY — Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz spent Thursday afternoon at the Jewish Children’s Museum in Brooklyn honoring the nine finalists of the annual Holocaust Memorial Scholarship Contest. The contest is a project of the Brooklyn Jewish Heritage Committee and includes students from all of Brooklyn’s public high schools.
More pictures in the Extended Article!
Committee chairperson Judy Shapiro says the contest, in which students write poetry, essays and plays, is a tribute to the Holocaust’s survivors and a way of educating today’s student of the dangers of intolerance and prejudice. “[These students] learn[ed] about a very difficult, sad, cruel time in Jewish history,” she said. “In the essays, poems and plays that you wrote you have educated yourselves…thank you for the studying, the writing, the devotion, the caring for people you never have missed – you may never have known.” Shapiro congratulated the winners: “You’re going to make [Brooklyn] a better place than you found it.”
In his remarks to the students Markowitz acknowledged the contestants’ “significant effort” in their creative works. He emphasized Brooklyn’s unique connection to the Holocaust as home to forty percent of the city’s survivors. He noted the troubling recurrence of genocide in the world. “You’re the future,” he told the students, “continue the fight for acceptance…and diversity.”
In welcoming the students to the Museum Markowitz exclaimed, “This is the first and only Jewish children’s museum in the United States of America!” The Museum’s mission of bridging cultural gaps in the community through innovative hands-on exhibits and interactive displays certainly caters to the borough which Markowitz noted for diversity.
Preceding the award program a group of Holocaust survivors toured the Museum. One holocaust survivor, Shmuel Roth, addressed the crowd. He spoke about his experience during the war, his fight for survival, and the many tragedies he has suffered. Throughout, he thanked G-d for saving him, and for “holding his hand” during the most difficult of times.
Never forget
Congratulations to the winners…are any Jewish?
How come this event wasn’t publicized, was it open to the public?
It’s ironic that in my school the Hanhala decided AFTER parental pressure(their junior high children are afraid to learn about it & get nightmares!) to remove a Holocaust course from the curriculum. This is a very frum school. Yet here we have non-Jews from public school participating in a Holocaust awareness event.
Says something, doesn’t it!!
professionalism
What a massive kiddush hashem. Another wonderful job from R’ Benjaminson, Gershon and the rest of the group. Kol Hakavos, keep it up!
curious
are there any frum contestants?
bob
This is a project of the borough and the Holocaust remembrance group pictured. It is open to students of Brooklyn’s public high schools (So, no. No frum contestants).
aliza
6 million dead. right now there are 5 million Jews living… that is, living in Eretz Yisroel. meanwhile, support for a terrorist state inside the heartland of the Jewish community, on strategic elevated ground, is gaining momentum. that state would threaten the lives of 5 million Jews… but surely there will be some survivors. and those survivors can come tell their stories in the theaters of Museums.
jabotinsky
meir kahane would call his office the museum of the potential holocaust. only he realized what was at risk. kahane chai!
shocked
excuse me! aliza what was that supposed to mean? what a horrible thing to say! im disgusted