- Letter to Educators and Administrators -
Dear Educator and/or Administrator,
Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone and the Suffolk County Jewish Advisory Board are hosting the first annual Mark J. Epstein Suffolk County Leadership Award for Combating Antisemitism, named to honor the life of the JAB’s founding chairman.
We ask that you encourage your students to participate in the pursuit of this award, which involves a short written entry. The deadline for students to submit their written entries is May 17, 2021. Further guidelines are included among this documentation.
The award is open to all students in grades K-12 in Suffolk County. A total of three awards will be made--one award at each school level (elementary, middle/junior and high school). The honorees will be selected based on their understanding of antisemitism, their personal work and/or commitment to fighting antisemitism in their community or more broadly.
Students who are selected as winners of the award will each receive a handsome certificate and be recognized in a ceremony with Suffolk County Executive Bellone. In addition, the students will be able to count the award among their achievements and cite the award on their resumes and college applications.
Following this note is an introductory note to your students, followed by detailed guidelines for entering this contest.
We wish your students good luck. If you have any questions please contact Allan Richter at JABofSuffolk@gmail.com.
Regards,
The Suffolk County Jewish Advisory Board
The Mark J. Epstein Suffolk County Leadership Award: Combating Antisemitism Contest
- Introduction to Students -
Dear Student,
American Jews were targets of more anti-Semitic incidents in 2019 than any other year over the past 40 years. Seventy-five years after the Holocaust, antisemitism is being expressed publicly and violently. This award has been created to challenge young people to think about how they can fight antisemitism as it is appearing today in all our lives.
In Poway, California, a shooting at a Jewish center killed a 60-year-old woman and injured three others in April 2019. This was six months after a gunman killed 11 worshippers at a Pittsburgh synagogue. In Jersey City, New Jersey, two suspects are accused of killing a police detective near a cemetery in December and then storming a nearby kosher market where they shot and killed three people. In Monsey, New York, five Orthodox Jews were stabbed by an attacker during a home Hanukkah celebration and a 72-year-old man later died from his injuries. More recently, the Covid-19 pandemic has given rise to a sharp increase in online conspiracy theories against Jews. Jewish students on college campuses across the country are physically attacked and harassed for their support of Israel.
To help combat the scourge of antisemitism, Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone and the Suffolk County Jewish Advisory Board are hosting the first annual Mark J. Epstein Suffolk County Leadership Award to fight Antisemitism, named to honor the life of the JAB’s founding chairman, who passed away in June. Proudly Jewish, Mark was a selfless fighter for the public good, whether as chairman of the Long Island Railroad Commuter Council, a commissioner on the Suffolk County Human Rights Commission or in a number of roles promoting justice and human rights.
The award is open to all students in grades K-12 in Suffolk County. A total of three awards will be made--one award at each school level (elementary, middle/junior and high school). The honorees will be selected based on their personal work and/or commitment to fighting antisemitism in their community or more broadly. The award reflects the deep commitment of both County Executive Bellone and Mark to fight antisemitism and build a diverse community in which peoples of all backgrounds can thrive with mutual respect. In that spirit, we encourage students of all faiths and backgrounds to participate. Guidelines follow. Good luck!
The Suffolk County Jewish Advisory Board
COUNTY OF SUFFOLK
OFFICE OF THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE
Steve Bellone
H. Lee Dennison Building
100 Veterans Memorial Highway
P.O. Box 6100
Hauppauge, New York 11788-0099
(631) 853-4738
Suffolk County Jewish Advisory Board
Presents
2021 Mark J. Epstein Suffolk County Leadership Award
For Combating Antisemitism
I. Purpose
The main purpose of this program is for you to develop and share ideas on how to effectively combat antisemitism. You must submit your ideas in writing.
II. Contest rules
1. Guidelines and criteria: Submissions of no less than 500 words and no more than 600 words should be written based on the theme, “Effectively Combating Antisemitism.” You should address firsthand experiences either as targets of antisemitism, fighters against antisemitism or observers of antisemitism. Whether you are Jewish or not, we want to hear how your experiences inform your understanding of antisemitism and how you have fought it or would fight it. You should express meaningful calls to action, strategies and methods to effectively combat antisemitism that you have engaged in or are committing to. Responses should include these elements but do not have to be limited to these ideas.
Participants are strongly encouraged to visit the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) website to understand the working definition of antisemitism and contemporary examples of antisemitism in public life, the media, schools and elsewhere. The definition, adopted by the IHRA’s 31 member nations in 2016, and examples of antisemitism can be found at https://www.holocaustremembrance.com/working-definition-antisemitism?usergroup=5.
2. Eligibility: You must be a student in grades K-12 in Suffolk County (private or public school).
3. Your response must be in English. The length of the response should be between 500 words and 600 words. All entries will become the property of the Suffolk County Jewish Advisory Board.
4. All submissions should include the following information: 1) Student’s first and last name 2) Student’s birthdate (month/day/year) 3) Student’s mailing address 4) Student’s phone number 5) Student’s email address 6) School name 7) School address 8) Whether student attends elementary, middle/junior or high school.
By submitting your entry for this award, you certify that, to the best of your knowledge and belief, all of the above information in this submission is true, correct, complete, and made in good faith. You understand that false or fraudulent information in this submission will be grounds for disqualification.
5. Along with the above personal information, email your written submission for the award to JABofSuffolk@gmail.com.
6. Submission deadline: May 17, 2021
7. All eligible entries will be judged on the following criteria:
A. Quality of content and adherence to theme
B. Efforts made to fight antisemitism. (Whether you were successful does not matter. The fact that you stood up and tried or are committing to is what we are looking for.)
C. Ability to communicate your experience so others may learn from your example.
8. Winners will be announced June 4, 2021 on the SCJAB website www.jabofsuffolk.com.
III. Awards Presentation
There will be one winner for each group (high school, middle/junior high and elementary school).
1. A certificate of accomplishment and recognition will be awarded by the Suffolk County Executive and Suffolk County Jewish Advisory Board.
2. All winners and their families will be invited to an award ceremony scheduled to take place in the near future, either in person or digitally.
IV. Direct any questions to Allan Richter at JABofSuffolk@gmail.com.