The Importance of Holocaust Education

For the last 20 years, the Jewish Federation of Greater Baton Rouge has sponsored the Annual Holocaust Writing Contest.  This contest is free and open to all public, private and charter middle schools and high schools throughout the state of Louisiana.  Our purpose for this contest is to encourage students to learn about and understand the lessons of the Holocaust, including the nature and repercussions of unchecked hate and prejudice taken to their ultimate extreme.  The premise is simple - use the lessons of the Holocaust to encourage tolerance, acceptance and respect for others.

 Teaching about the Holocaust allows us to understand the impact of history on our society; the impact of history on human beings; and to study the impact individuals can have on history.  We must stop seeing the Holocaust as a single event but rather as several individual and combined elements which led to the genocide of Jewish people during the Second World War.  Since the Holocaust, the world has been repeatedly traumatized by racial, religious and ethnic persecution, often rooted in ignorance and fear.

 This year, we are offering the opportunity to CHOOSE which question best fits YOUR curriculum.  Please choose either Prompt I or Prompt II.

 The contest has two divisions: the middle school division (6th – 8th grade) and the high school division (9th -12th grade).  Regardless of which prompt you select submissions will be reviewed by grade levels.

 
 

2024-2025 Holocaust Essay Question

Antisemitism impacts Jewish people throughout the United States and the world.  One of the effects of antisemitism is that it tears at the very fabric of a society, sometimes pitting neighbor against neighbor and friend against friend.  The word antisemitism means prejudice against or hatred of Jews.  Much like racism, antisemitism is a predetermined opinion of others that is not based on any reason or actual experience, but rather ignorance about them that can lead to their mistreatment in often dangerous ways.  The Holocaust, the state-sponsored persecution and murder of six million Jews by Nazi Germany and its collaborators, is one of history’s most extreme examples of antisemitism.

The Holocaust was not a single event, it did not happen all at once.  It was the result of systematic, targeted attacks on innocent Jewish people which took place over many years.  People who rose to political power in Germany made it a crime to be Jewish.  Any non-Jew who helped a Jewish person could also be punished.

Today, we are witnessing an unprecedented rise in antisemitism.  We are witnessing a world where attacks on synagogues in the United States are becoming more common.  Social media, reaching every corner of the world, spouts antisemitism daily to students and adults alike.

Antisemitism needs to be eliminated and addressed any time it happens in today’s world.  People need to be empowered to shut down antisemitism when they encounter it. Holocaust education is a powerful tool to achieve these goals and it has been shown to foster social responsibility, civic worth, and a greater willingness to challenge intolerant behavior in others.

 PROMPT I

A “stereotype” is a generalization about a person or group of persons. We develop stereotypes when we are unable or unwilling to obtain all of the information we need to make fair judgments about people. Our society often innocently creates and perpetuates stereotypes, but these stereotypes often lead to unfair discrimination and persecution when the stereotype is negative. Using the example of the Holocaust, discuss how stereotypes can be dangerous.

PROMPT II

 Holocaust education demonstrates the dangers of prejudice, discrimination, and dehumanization, be it the antisemitism that fueled the Holocaust or other forms of racism and intolerance that we see every day in our news and social media feeds.  Nearly 80 years ago, as the Holocaust ended and people in the death camps were liberated, almost immediately survivors began to say: Never again. Never again would there be a systematic attempt to destroy the Jewish people.   Never again would genocide devastate any ethnic, national, racial, or religious group. Comparing the Holocaust to present-day racism and intolerance, can we truly say never again? Has humanity learned from history?

  Guidelines:

  • Entries must be typed, double spaced and include a title page that lists the author’s name, school, teacher, grade, phone number and email address and INDICATE WHICH PROMPT IS BEING ANSWERED.  Submissions missing requested information will automatically be disqualified.  Essays will NOT be returned.

  • Middle School essays should be no more than 250 words

  • High School essays should be 250 – 500 words

  • Entries must be postmarked by March 10th

  • Teachers may send a MAXIMUM of ten essays per classroom

Entries are to be mailed to
Jewish Federation of Greater Baton Rouge
14241 Coursey Blvd., A-12 #356
Baton Rouge, LA 70817

Contest finalists will be contacted, and the winners will be announced at a special Holocaust Memorial Service in Spring 2025. 

Monetary prizes will be awarded in each division of the contest, and the school contributing the most entries will be recognized at the ceremony.  Details of this special event will be provided in early 2025.

If you have any questions, please contact me at ellen.sager@jewishbr.org.

Thank you for your participation. We look forward to receiving your entries.