Students get creative with Hanukkah contest entries

The judges for this year’s Hanukkah Art and Writing Contest were impressed by the creativity in the more than 100 entries. Participation in the contest, sponsored by The Jewish Voice and Touro Fraternal Association, increased from last year. More than 100 students entered the art contest for Grades 1-4 and more than two dozen entered the writing contest for Grades 5-8. Students were asked to draw or write on the topic of “Hanukkah Miracles” or “How We Celebrate Hanukkah.” The responses showed the diversity of our community, the judges noted.

The judges for this year’s Hanukkah Art and Writing Contest were impressed by the creativity in the more than 100 entries.

Participation in the contest, sponsored by The Jewish Voice and Touro Fraternal Association, increased from last year. More than 100 students entered the art contest for Grades 1-4 and more than two dozen entered the writing contest for Grades 5-8. Students were asked to draw or write on the topic of  “Hanukkah Miracles” or “How We Celebrate Hanukkah.” The responses showed the diversity of our community, the judges noted.

Judges were Fran Ostendorf, editor of The Jewish Voice; Tricia Stearley, advertising manager of The Voice; Ruth Horton, interim director of the David C. Isenberg Family Early Childhood Center at the Dwares JCC; Gail Putnam, executive assistant and office manager at the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island; and Lester Nathan from the Touro Fraternal Association.

Art contest winners

First place:  Shlomo Lapin, grade 3 at Providence Hebrew Day School. His entry was a drawing of a beautiful silver hanukkiah featuring oil-burning flames, which the judges felt showed a high level of sophistication.

Second place: Rivka Binjaminson, grade 1, Providence Hebrew Day School. Her mosaic-like drawing of the letters of the dreidel was beautifully colored, the judges said.

Third place: Leah Twersky, grade 4, Providence Hebrew Day School. She turned nine packages into a whimsical hanukkiah that included the name of the holiday. The judges found it well-executed and eye-catching.

Honorable mentions to Jaclyn Haas, grade 2, Providence Hebrew Day School; Talya Davis, grade 4, Temple Beth-El; and Esther Taitelbaum, grade 3, Providence Hebrew Day School.

Writing contest winners

First place: Yael Bulley, grade 5, Providence Hebrew Day School. Her essay started on a light note with jokes that the judges found quite funny. It ended quite seriously as she explained the importance of getting together with family and friends during Hanukkah.

Second place: Shmuel Rosenthal, grade 5, Providence Hebrew Day School. He told a poignant story about his grandfather, who had a bad accident when he was younger. Miraculously, he only broke both his legs. That message impressed the judges with its wisdom.

Third place: Eve Weiner, grade 8, Temple Beth-El. She wrote about how special miracles are and how you must be ready to recognize one when it happens to you. The judges felt it was a nice message for Hanukkah and the essay was free of errors.

Honorable mentions to Leah Schwartz, grade 5, Providence Hebrew Day School, and Delphine King, grade 8, Temple Beth-El.

Awards were presented in a ceremony Dec. 21 at the Dwares JCC. First place was awarded $108; second place, $72; and third place, $36. Honorable mentions received certificates.

The first-place winners’ school in both categories received a $750 technology grant. Awards were funded by Touro Fraternal Association. Representatives from both Touro Fraternal and The Voice told the audience that they hoped participation would continue to grow in future years.

FRAN OSTENDORF is the editor of The Jewish Voice.