Topic: “CHILDREN AND THE HOLOCAUST”

Sponsored by The Jewish Federation of Peoria

2017 Forms Now Available!

Information | Registration
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 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 kindertransport, known the horrors of concentration camps and/or experienced the Holocaust in a myriad of other ways. He or she could have been 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 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.

Papers must be delivered in person or mailed to: The Jewish Federation of Peoria

2000 Pioneer Pkwy. Suite 10B, Peoria, IL 61615.

Phone: 309-689-0063

Essays are due no later than Feb. 23, 2017
Open to Students 7/8 grade
Peoria and Tazewell Counties; Public, Parochial and home schooled.

Prizes sponsored by Robert W. Baird & Co.

$200 First Place

$125 Second Place

$100 Third Place

2016 Winners:

PIctured from left to right:

Madison Bybee-3rd place

Madelyn Flo-2nd place

Guest Speaker Agnes Schwartz

Grace Couri: 1st Place

Winning Essays:

Grace Couri:The Greater Good%22 1st Place

Madelyn Flo: %22Fourteen Month%22 2nd place

Madison Bybee: %22The Mozes Twins%22 3rd place

Magda Brown was born in 1927 in a Jewish-Hungarian family living in Miskolc, Hungary. In 1944, when Magda was 17 years old, her family was transported to the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland. Immediately upon arrival she was separated from her parents, relatives, and friends. It was the last time she saw them as they were sent directly to the gas chambers. After several months, Magda was one of a thousand Jewish-Hungarian women “selected” to work at Allendorf, Germany, making bombs. In March 1945, Magda and her group were sent on a death march to Buchenwald concentration camp. Magda and other prisoners escaped by hiding in a barn. Discovered and helped by American soldiers two days later, Magda was able to witness the end of the war. She moved to the United States in September 1946. With the help of the US government, she was able to return to Hungary and search for survivors in her family. Out of an extended family of 70, only 6 had survived.

Magda Brown frequently speaks and meets with students at the Holocaust Museum in Skokie, IL. In 2014, she received an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Aurora University in honor of her dedication to sharing her Holocaust experience with students. More about Magda Brown can be found at www.magdabrown.com.

For questions about this event, please contact Dr. Elena Gabor (egabor@fsmail.bradley.edu; 309-677-3621)

Department Supporting the Event: Department of History

Student organization supporting the event: Bradley University Hillel (Exec. Director – Dr. Seth Katz)