Equity in Elul-the whole month of Elul

The Community Relations Committee (CRC) of the Jewish Federation is excited to share that we are setting up an entire month of short readings, podcasts, and videos for you to use to either begin or further your journey to be an informed and potentially active ally of the Black community.

With the murder of George Floyd by a police officer, we, as a nation, seemed to wake up to some of the realities that the Black community has struggled with for decades (centuries, actually). We at the CRC believe it is time for more of us to engage with and enlighten ourselves about the daily inequities that American Blacks face and struggle with. During Elul, each day there will be a new item for you to explore; and every Sunday we will have a Zoom discussion for all who wish to discuss, question, and further discuss the issues.

The entire month of activities, as well as the zoom links can be found here.

Or you may chose to go week by week. The same zoom link will be used for each Sunday session.

April 22, 2021August 6, 2021

Winners of the 2021 White Rose Essay Contest

The White Rose Society Essay Contest is named in honor of the original White Rose Society, a group of university students in Munich, Germany, who united to call the German people to oppose Nazi oppression and inhumanity through an underground newspaper and leaflet campaign. The society, which chose the white rose as its symbol to represent purity in the face of evil, was originally inspired to speak out in opposition to Nazi eugenics and euthanasia programs.

Our Contestants were asked to research the history of a specific child or youth who was caught in or witnessed the events of the Holocaust in Europe, and then describe how learning about the Holocaust through the personal story of this one individual made the Holocaust more meaningful to them.

First Place winner Callie Sturgell from Germantown Hills Middle School.

You can read her essay: “Victor Rona” here.

Second Place winner Grace Yontz from Blessed Sacrament in Morton.

You can read her essay: “Jacob Bresler” here.

Third Place winner Ella Russell from Germantown Hills Middle School.

You can read her essay: “One of the Millions” here.

October 14, 2020August 6, 2021

White Rose Society Essay Contest

Microsoft Word – 2021 Essay contest forms.docx

A poet once remarked that the death of a child is the loss of infinite possibilities. What, then, can be said about the more than one-and-a-half million Jewish children who were murdered by the Nazis during the Holocaust years (1933-1945)? Of course, many more boys and girls suffered unimaginable hardships and bore witness to the brutality of the Nazis. Some survived. Many did not. Regardless of how experiences varied from country to country, children’s lives were changed forever. The purpose of this essay contest is to record the stories that must be told to yesterday’s, today’s and tomorrow’s children.

Part A: Research the history of a specific child or youth (Wikipedia not an acceptable source) who was caught in or witnessed the events of the Holocaust in Europe. This person could have lived in a ghetto, been hidden, carried out clandestine activities, been a part of a kinder transport, known the horrors of concentration camps and/or experienced the Holocaust in a myriad of other ways. He or she could have be a Jew or a non-Jew, or have been a part of a family or a group of children suffering the same fate. Describe the conditions under which this individual lived during the Holocaust and the circumstances that impacted his/her life during the Holocaust years. If he or she survived, briefly explain what happened after 1945.

Part B: Tell how learning about the Holocaust through the personal story of this one individual makes the Holocaust more meaningful to you! The writer’s understanding of this topic is very important so insure that history will not repeat itself.

Details are available here

Submission Form is available here.

May 11, 2020August 6, 2021

Congratulations to the winners of the 2020 White Rose Society Essay Contest.

First Place: Rebecca Dawdy from Germantown Hills Middle School.

You can read her essay “The Attic” here. Page 1 Page 2

Second Place Winner: Lyda Roberts, Germantown Hills Middle School

You can read her essay “Number 79357” here. Page 1 Page 2

Third Place Winner: Sydney Walker, Germantown Hills Middle School

You can read her essay “Remember” here. Page 1 Page 2

September 4, 2019August 6, 2021

Docents Needed for Peoria Holocaust Memorial

Peoria Public Schools will be sending students from their schools to visit the Peoria Riverfront Museum and the Peoria Holocaust Memorial. These trips will take place in the morning March 9-April 14. We are seeking volunteers to lead these students through the Memorial; a script and training will be provided. Sign up for as many slots as you like!

May 2, 2018May 2, 2018

2018 White Rose Society Essay Contest Winners

Never Forget

Never Again

2018 White Rose Society Essay Contest Winners

Left to right: Terri Broms-co-chair White Rose Essay Contest, MIa, Abby, Hannah, Doris Fogel-Guest speaker, Evelyn Vogel, Co-chair White Rose Essay Contest.

During our Yom HaShoah event on April 10, 2018, we announced the winners of the annual White Rose Society Essay Contest.

Mia Point
Children of the Holocaust

$200 First Place Prize

Abby Scannell
Meaning

$125 Second Place Prize

Hannah Tellor
A Stolen Childhood

$100 Third Place Prize

Holocaust Remembrance Day 2018

Never Forget

Never Again

When: Tuesday, April 10, 2018 at 7:00 p.m.
Where: Peoria Riverfront Museum Auditorium

Guest Speaker: Aaron Elster

Aaron Elster is a child survivor of the Holocaust. He was born in 1933 in Poland. Aaron lived in the Sokolow Ghetto with his family until the liquidation of the ghetto in September, 1942. He escaped the liquidation and hid in various surrounding farms. Eventually, Aaron found refuge in the attic of a Polish family, where he hid for two years until the war’s end. He will be sharing his story of life during the Holocaust.

When asked why he tells his story his response is:

“We are the last of the survivors and we have an obligation to tell the younger generations of the atrocities that humans are able to inflict on others. As the decision makers of tomorrow children must understand the consequences of indifference and hate. They must not be bystanders, they must always be proactive and have the courage to speak up and care.”

This important event is open to the public at no charge.

Children ages 10 and over are encouraged to attend; they are the last generation that will hear these stories first hand.

75th Anniversary of Archbishop Damaskinos’ Letter

Never Forget

Never Again

When: Sunday, March 18, 3:00 PM

Where: Peoria Riverfront Museum Auditorium

FREE & Open to the Public

Presenter: Polyxeni Petropoulou, Consulate General of Greece in Chicago

Presented in partnership with Jewish Federation of Peoria, Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Chicago and Peoria Riverfront Museum.

Join the Jewish Federation of Peoria and the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Chicago for an educational presentation at the Peoria Riverfront Museum recognizing the 75th Anniversary of Greek Orthodox Archbishop Damaskinos’ Letter of Protest Against the Holocaust.

While living in Nazi-occupied Greece, Archbishop Damaskinos stands outas the only worldwide leader to formally protest the treatment of Jews during World War II. As a result of his letter of protest, Archbishop Damaskinos was called before a Nazi SS firing squad.

Archbishop Damaskinos stood alone in protesting the Holocaust. Today, we celebrate the legacy of the archbishop and revisit the lessons within this historic document that we can still learn from today.

Please join us for this historic event which is FREE & open to the public!

Note: Polyxeni Petropoulou, the Consul General of Greece in Chicago, will be making her first ever visit to Peoria and downstate Illinois to participate at this event.

Spring Docents Needed!

Never Forget

Never Again

This spring the Peoria Holocaust Memorial continues its education mission by providing docent-led tours of the Memorial for the Peoria Public Schools as part of the Every Student Initiative. Starting in February, all 8th grade PPS students will be visiting the Peoria Riverfront Museum and short tours of the Peoria Holocaust Memorial are part of the visit. We need volunteers to help lead these tours.

If you volunteered in the fall, please consider helping us out again this spring. If you haven’t docented before, don’t worry, we provide training, have a script, and will have someone with you the first time you sign up to lead tours.