Thu 5/14 @ 10AM
For the 12th year, the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage hosts its annual Stop the Hate essay contest for students in grade 6-12. More than 3,000 students from across the region enter their essays detailing instances of bigotry and intolerance they’ve encountered and how they responded. More than $100,000 in scholarships and prizes is awarded to winning students and their schools, including a $40,000 scholarship to the grand prizewinner.
There was supposed to be the usual big awards event last month, featuring finalists reading their essays and the grand prizewinner announced. But obviously that didn’t happen. Instead the Maltz Museum will introduce the 25 finalists in a video and announce the grand prizewinner on its website Thursday May 14 @ 10am.
The contest was inspired by letters written to the museum by students after their visits there, talking about how they wanted to do something about the discrimination they faced or saw around them.
“About one-third of our visitors are school groups exploring Jewish history and heritage, often for the first time,” said the Maltz Museum’s Dahlia Fisher in a press release. “Some students may not have met a Jewish person before, while others may be curious about Jewish stereotypes they’ve heard. This is a safe space to ask questions, learn about another culture, and begin to understand that no matter what our cultural differences are, there are some shared experiences that we can all relate to.”