Kansas City Lodge No. 184 of B’nai B’rith has announced its 2027 Margolis Scholarship Essay Contest, offering a $2,000 cash prize to a graduating high school student for the best essay on “The Importance of Dialogue Between Christians and Jews.”
The competition is open to students graduating from high schools in the Kansas City metropolitan area in spring 2027 who intend to enroll in college or junior college that fall. The deadline for submitting applications and essays is June 1, 2027.
Essays should reflect students’ personal thoughts and experiences concerning interfaith dialogue. The contest is intended to encourage students to consider the relationship between Jewish and Christian communities and share their perspectives as future community leaders.
There are no specific essay length or formatting requirements. However, essays determined by the judges to be based on artificial intelligence will be disqualified.
Applicants must submit both a paper copy and an emailed copy of their application and essay. The paper application must include original signatures from the student and a parent, including authorization to publish the student’s name and essay.
The lodge recently awarded two $2,000 scholarships following its 2026 competition. Ethan Hobbs, a 2026 graduate of Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy, received the 2026 scholarship, while Kate Schoenfeld of St. Teresa’s Academy received the award designated for 2025, since the contest had no entrants that year.
Lodge President Mark Wasserstrom said the judges decided to recognize both Hobbs and Schoenfeld because their essays received closely matched scores.
Wasserstrom also cited the scholarship fund’s investment growth under the management of the Jewish Community Foundation.
Hobbs, who now attends Reichman University in Herzliya, Israel, wrote about his work in the Student-to-Student (STS) program, including presentations at St. Teresa’s Academy and Notre Dame de Sion about Judaism, the importance of Shabbat and the Jewish connection to Israel.
STS is an experiential, peer-to-peer educational initiative where trained Jewish high school students visit public and private school classrooms, often with few or no Jewish students, to share their personal stories and identities.
The scholarship fund was endowed by Bernard Margolis, a former executive vice president of Katz Drug Co., through his will. Margolis established 40 charitable funds in memory of his parents. The Jewish Community Foundation manages the scholarship fund.
Applicants can obtain additional information and request an application from Wasserstrom at (816) 523-4243 or .
Paper applications and essays should be mailed to Mark D. Wasserstrom, Margolis Memorial Essay Contest, Kansas City Lodge No. 184, B’nai B’rith, 7300 W. 107th St., Apt. 708, Overland Park, KS 66212. Applicants must also email copies of their materials to Wasserstrom.
