Essay contest addresses Holocaust denial

Area high school students are again asked to help the community remember the Holocaust.

For a fourth year, a creative writing contest is part of the Spokane Community Observance of the Holocaust.

This year’s theme is “Confronting Holocaust Denial,” recognizing that some skeptics still do not believe that the systematic slaughter of 6 million Jews occurred during World War II.

Contest entrants are asked to write an essay of 500 to 1,000 words in the form of a respectful letter to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, one of the most visible Holocaust deniers, discussing the impact of Holocaust denial on humanity and indicating what they plan to do locally to confront it. (For more details, see the Facebook page Never Again Spokane.)

Entries should be double-spaced in Microsoft Word format, with a cover page giving the writer’s name, phone number, e-mail address, school name and grade level. Any referenced material should be annotated at the end.

E-mail as an attachment to neveragain-spokane@ comcast.net by Feb. 18.

The winner will read their composition at the Spokane Community Observance of the Holocaust service on April 11 at Temple Beth Shalom. They will receive a $500 scholarship and a keepsake commemorating their achievement.

The winning entry also will be published in The Spokesman-Review.