Essay Contest to Honor Arbeiter
By Kristin Erekson
The Jewish Advocate
Survivor helped 'give a voice to the holocaust'
For nearly six decades, Newton resident Israel Arbeiter has worked to turn his tragic experiences under Nazi persecution into something positive.
From ensuring quality Holocaust education to helping establish the New England Holocaust Memorial near Faneuil Hall, the 81-year-old survivor of Auschwitz has been at the forefront of trying to eliminate hatred and injustice targeted at Jews.
Now leaders within the local Jewish community are teaming up to applaud Arbeiter's tireless efforts as they launch the first-ever essay contest in his honor.
"[Arbeiter] has always helped give a voice to the Holocaust," said Deborah Donig, community relations associate for the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston and coordinator of the competition.
Boston-area students in grades 6-12 are invited to submit a 500 to 750-word essay describing their design for a new Holocaust memorial in the city and what they hope people will learn from their monument. While the prize has not yet been determined, a judging panel comprised of academics, teachers and city officials is being formed.
In addition to creating a living legacy, the contest was also established to celebrate Arbeiter's retirement from the community-wide Yom HaShoah committee last year.
Arbeiter, who is the president of the American Association of Jewish Holocaust Survivors of Greater Boston, said he first learned about the essay contest through an e-mail he received last week. The surprise on behalf of his Jewish counterparts, he noted, was humbling.
"I didn't know anything about it," Arbeiter said.
Yet this is the best time to reflect on Nazi persecution, he added, because of the rise in anti-Semitism and the recent denial of the Holocaust at a conference held by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
"We can't bring back the people murdered in the Holocaust," Arbeiter said. "But we can work very hard to see that another tragedy like this doesn't happen again."
For more information, e-mail Deborah Donig at ddonig@jcrcboston.org.
