37 years of History
The Jews have long been known as the "people of the book." Jewish history is characterized by "thought and education," and it is this reflective spirit that merges to give rise to the Inter-School Contest, leaving generational imprints. The Contest emerged under the motto "Works done with love," with the goal of encouraging children to think and write with a critical sense of life's aspects.
Maruja Perez is part of the women's group "Chapter Hatikva" and is passionate about the Contest. As a former educator, she admires the children's ability and sensitivity in expressing their feelings based on the prompts they are given. As she says, "In this world, there are people to discover, wonderful people with the desire to make this a better place to live."
Maruja, can you tell us how the idea of creating a contest for children came about?
Mrs. Ruth Ratner, whom I deeply respect and admire, was the one who brought the idea to the women's chapter. From there, we began working on this project, which has become one of the central activities of our group.
The contest has always been aimed at schools with some connection to the Jewish people or the State of Israel. In the beginning, there were four or five schools, and today there are almost ten. This year, we had the support and enthusiasm of a group of young mothers—women who are currently raising children and have a keen interest in education—to carry out this activity.
Who participates?
In the 2014 Contest, there are 10 schools, including 7 public schools (Rosa F. Ramos No. 33 rural, Estado de Israel No. 68, Special School No. 198, Estado de Israel No. 217, Ana Frank No. 271, Ana Vinocur No. 359, Albert Einstein No. 151) and three private schools (Yavne, Keter School, EIHU-IAHU) from the Jewish community. This year, for the first time, School No. 198 for visually impaired students was invited to participate, following a suggestion from the Jury Director, Teacher Cristina Di Luca. The idea was very well received by the group and the school when they were invited. Students from 5th and 6th grades can participate, making the entries very interesting because the children are at a pre-adolescent stage of maturity.
To what extent do you consider that the Contest helps positively shape the image of Israel or the Jewish People in the Uruguayan society?
I think it is very important because, many times, the proposed topics are directly related to figures or historical moments of the Jewish people, and in other cases, simply presenting a situation leads to thinking about the other as "different," and that's where the Jewish theme can come in.
For example, a few years ago, the theme was "Maimonides," and many schools knew nothing about this Jewish philosopher and thinker. I remember that Professor Braja went to the "Ana Frank" School to teach some groups, and that was a way to introduce Judaism that might not have reached them otherwise.
In 2013, the title was "Today I am willing to help." The winning girl from School No. 33 was named Naharia Nieves, and she was 10 years old. The first part of her writing said, "How can I explain to you what I am willing to help with today? Although I am only 10 years old, I want to help with what I can. It's not much, but I also know that drop by drop, a glass can be filled...". This year's title is "When I think differently than the other..." a theme that, according to each child's reality, will provide different contents and ways to resolve the situations that each one develops in their story.
How is the jury composed?
The jury is renewed every year, and what we seek is diversity, people with different perspectives, especially non-Jewish professionals as another way to promote the Contest and convey the work of B'nai B'rith and Jewish values.
It consists of three members, and on this occasion, we have the privilege of having journalist and professor María Inés Obaldía, Oral Narrator and Director of Cazsacuentos Niré Collazo, and teacher and member of the school planning team at ANEP, Cristina Di Luca, who has accompanied us as the jury's president for the third consecutive year.
I take this opportunity to thank them for their dedication, affection, and the time they devoted to reading each of the entries submitted by the children. Some years ago, I met Teacher Cristina Di Luca when she was the Principal of School No. 217, and I had contacted her about the Contest. From that moment on, Cristina came into contact with the Jewish community, which until then had been unknown to her. So much so that in 2013, she received a study scholarship granted by the Embassy of Israel, for which she still has no words of gratitude.
How are the winning works selected?
The jury determines the elements they will consider in the evaluation and assigns scores. Once each jury member has done this individually, they vote, and by majority, they decide the winning child for each school. There isn't a single winner but rather one winner per school, which enriches the exchange among all the contestants.
On the day of the awards and recognition, each child reads their story, and it's the moment when everyone can hear the work of others. They are usually accompanied by their school principals, teachers, and family members who travel from peripheral or inland areas to attend the ceremony.
Published for: Uruguayan Hebrew Weekly
Date: 2014
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