Assemblyman Steven Cymbrowitz recently presented the Yeshivah of Flatbush with a computer for capturing first place in the elementary school division of his Holocaust Memorial Essay, Poetry, Performance and Art Contest.
The entries from the 5th graders included student created stamps commemorating the Holocaust and a mural comprised of drawings depicting the students feelings and knowledge of the Holocaust. The entries were also selected to be part of an exhibit currently on display at the Harriet and Kenneth Kupferberg Holocaust Resource Center and Archives in Queens. Over 700 entries from schools throughout our community were received.
These entries are not only artistically impressive, but they demonstrate the knowledge and insight into the Holocaust that these young people have. Given the serious incidents of anti-Semitism we witnessed in this community just within the past month, it is important that we use the horrors of the Holocaust to teach students about the dangers of hatred. My contest was designed to do just that by requiring students to study the Holocaust and then express their feelings using their personal talents, Cymbrowitz explained.
While I realize that changing minds is not as easy as just sponsoring a contest, I am confident that the thousands of students who have participated in my contest, over the years, have gained insight into the lessons that are to be learned from the Holocaust.
Assemblyman Cymbrowitz, a second generation Holocaust survivor, has sponsored the Holocaust Memorial Essay, Poetry, Performance and Art Contest for the past 11 years. Each year I am amazed at the talent that goes into producing the written and artistic entries, as well as the emotions that the students works convey. Now, almost 70 years after the end of the Holocaust there are fewer survivors to tell their stories firsthand to disseminate the realities of the atrocities that occurred. While its primary role is to perpetuate the memory of the Holocaust, this contest also provides students with academic enrichment combining such disciplines as history, writing, research and art, Cymbrowitz stated.
After addressing an assembly, handing out award certificates to the students who contributed to the winning entries and presenting the laptop computer, Assemblyman Cymbrowitz visited with classes to discuss how state government works. I believe that education happens when students have a hands-on experience. Thats why I seek out opportunities to talk to classes to tell them how our government actually works, as well as to get their feedback on issues and answer their questions. I was most impressed with the students I met at the Yeshivah of Flatbush. Not only did they have an excellent knowledge of how our government works, but their questions indicated a mature concern about how laws, government services and regulations affected them, Cymbrowitz said.
The educators in our community should be proud of the work they do with their students. These are children who are motivated and demonstrate both a desire to learn and a concern for our community. It is my hope that they will take their enthusiasm with them to the polling place when they are old enough to vote and maybe even run for elected office, Cymbrowitz concluded.
