By Mike Sherry
Editor
Leave it to a first grader to sum up Hanukkah in a way that is so simple and universal.
“I think that Hanukkah is nice because it makes everything sparkle,” Beatrice K. said in her video description of her entry in the 24th annual Hanukkah Art Contest. (Her parents asked that her last name not be used.)
Beatrice’s entry of a menorah and gelt earned her the People’s Choice award in this year’s contest. She made her project with cardboard, gift wrap, ribbon, popsicle sticks, plastic, aluminum foil, and glue.
Not to be outdone, Yosef Meir Tiechtel expressed a spirit of unity in his submission, which judges declared the overall winner. Each candle in Yosef’s menorah represented a different type of Jew. The rope they are holding symbolized unity.
Or, as Yosef put it in his written description, the rope represented “this idea that we are all connected, especially when we each shine our own light.” Yosef, 12, is a sixth grader at Chabad Shluchim Online School.
And really, who couldn’t use more light and connectedness during this COVID-19 Hanukkah?
Sponsors of the contest are The Shul – Chabad of Leawood, The J - Jewish Community Center of Greater Kansas City, and The Kansas City Jewish Chronicle. Winners in the other categories were:
Pre-K - 1st Grade: Grant Levy, who is in pre-k at the Child Development Center at The J.
2nd - 5th Grade: Miriam Gordon, who is in third grade at the Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy.
6th - 8th Grade: Nina McNay, who is in the eighth grade at Oxford Middle School.
The People’s Choice and Overall winners each received a $100 gift card to Amazon or Target. The winners of the age-group categories each received a $50 gift card.
The pandemic inspired what this year became the first-ever virtual Hanukkah art contest. Typically, entries are put on public display, but that was not practical for the safety precautions in place to prevent the spread of COVID.
Contest organizers originally thought about having students submit pictures, but they feared some of the kids might lose out if the picture quality was poor.
“The video entries were a way for the children to share a bit more about their entries and overcome the issue of photo quality,” Rabbi Mendy Wineberg of the Leawood Chabad said in an email. “In addition, by submitting a video, it gives each participant an opportunity to shine.”
The contest began as a way for kids to focus on the improbable victory of the Maccabees over the Syrian-Greeks and the miracle of the menorah oil lasting eight days – rather than the commercialism surrounding the modern holiday season.
Wineberg is thankful that message has sunk in to participants through the years.
And as for this year, Wineberg wrote, “We were delighted with the results! With over 700 votes, there was obviously a lot of interest and we look forward to next year’s competition as we hit 25 years.”
Associate Editor Marcia Montgomery contributed to this report
