The Importance of Holocaust Education
For the last 20 years, the Jewish Federation of Greater Baton Rouge has sponsored the Annual Holocaust Writing Contest. This contest is free and open to all public, private, and charter middle schools and high schools throughout the state of Louisiana. Our purpose for this contest is to encourage students to learn about and understand the lessons of the Holocaust, including the nature and repercussions of unchecked hate and prejudice taken to their ultimate extreme. The premise is simple - use the lessons of the Holocaust to encourage tolerance, acceptance, and respect for others.
Teaching about the Holocaust allows us to understand the impact of history on our society; the impact of history on human beings; and to study the impact individuals can have on history. We must stop seeing the Holocaust as a single event but rather as several individual and combined elements which led to the genocide of Jewish people during the Second World War. Since the Holocaust, the world has been repeatedly traumatized by racial, religious, and ethnic persecution, often rooted in ignorance and fear.
This year, we are offering the opportunity to CHOOSE which question best fits YOUR curriculum. Please choose either Prompt 1 or Prompt 2.
The contest has two divisions: the middle school division (6th – 8th grade) and the high school division (9th -12th grade). Regardless of which prompt you select, submissions will be reviewed by grade levels.
2026-2027 Holocaust Essay Contest
The brutality of the Nazis forever changed the lives of millions of people. The Holocaust destroyed families, communities, and traditions, leaving a lasting impact on Jewish people in Europe and around the world. As the war began to turn against Nazi Germany, some people who kept diaries started thinking about what life might be like after the war. Their writings show not only the pain and loss they experienced, but also their hopes, fears, and questions about rebuilding their lives. Diaries, letters, and personal stories help us see history through the eyes of the people who lived it. They remind us that history is not only about events and dates—it is about real people, their experiences, and the choices we make as human beings. While the experiences of Holocaust victims and survivors are unique, many individuals and families carry histories shaped by discrimination, war, migration, injustice, or the struggle to preserve their identity and traditions.
Diary Entries:
Anne Frank
Wednesday, January 13, 1943
“…. Terrible things are happening outside. At any time of night and day, poor helpless people are being dragged out of their homes. They’re allowed to take only a rucksack and a little cash with them, and even then, they’re robbed of these possessions on the way. Families are torn apart; men, women and children are separated. Children come home from school to find that their parents have disappeared. Women return from shopping to find their houses sealed, their families gone. The Christians in Holland are also living in fear because their sons are being sent to Germany. Everyone is scared. Every night hundreds of planes pass over Holland on their way to German cities, to sow their bombs on German soil. Every hour hundreds, or maybe even thousands, of people are being killed in Russia and Africa. No one can keep out of the conflict, the entire world is at war, and even though the Allies are doing better, the end is nowhere in sight.”
Yitskhok Rudashevski
Tuesday, July 8, 1941
“The decree is issued that the Vilna Jewish population must put on a yellow patch front and back, a circle with a J in it… I felt ashamed to appear with them in the street, not because I am a Jew, but because I am ashamed of what has been done to us. I was ashamed of our helplessness… The patch sits on our coat, but it has not touched our sense of who we are. We now have so much awareness of who we are that we can say that we feel no shame with the patches! Let those who hung them on us feel shame. Let them burn inside every conscious German who tries to ponder the future of his people. . . It hurt me that I saw absolutely no way out.”
Anonymous Entry from the Warsaw Ghetto
Friday, April 30, 1943
“3 days have already passed, 3 days without hot food. This situation to a large degree affects disputes between people. The problem of the kitchen still has not been solved. Everyone was of a different opinion. Despite the long quarrels and arguments, the kitchen was finally set up, an exit was found for the smoke. It is forbidden for anyone to converse in order to maintain the silence. For every question one receives crude and offensive answers, people in the bunker, in contrast to their previous behavior, have adopted a very insensitive manner of behaving.”
Prompts
Middle School, grades 6-8 / No More than 250 Words High School, grades 9-12 / 250- 500 words
Prompt 1:
How does studying the Holocaust help us understand humanity, even though we did not experience these events ourselves? What lessons can we learn from survivor stories about courage, responsibility, kindness, and the dangers of hatred and indifference?
Prompt 2:
Think about your own life, your family's story, or the history of a community or culture that is important to you. Consider how those experiences have influenced who you are today.
Share a personal experience that changed your perspective on prejudice, belonging, resilience, or standing up for others. Support your ideas with specific examples from your personal experiences, family history, or community history, and thoughtfully connect your reflections to the enduring lessons of the Holocaust.
About the Jewish Federation of Greater Baton Rouge
The Jewish Federation of Greater Baton Rouge works with schools, organizations, and communities across the state to design and deliver anti-bias education with both online resources and guest speakers. Our goal is to empower people throughout our state to recognize antisemitism and feel comfortable confronting it when someone is faced with it.
Essay Writing Guidelines
We are looking for a genuine student voice that struggles with this difficult topic, not AI-generated content. We encourage students to think deeply and write authentically.
Entries must be typed, double-spaced, and include a title page that includes:
the author’s name
school name, teacher name and email address, and grade level
student’s phone number and email address
WHICH prompt is being answered.
Submissions missing requested information will automatically be disqualified. Essays will NOT be returned.
o Middle School essays should be no more than 250 words
o High School essays should be 250 – 500 words
Entries must be postmarked by March 10th
Teachers may send a MAXIMUM of ten essays per classroom
Entries are to be mailed to
Jewish Federation of Greater Baton Rouge
14241 Coursey Blvd., A-12 #356
Baton Rouge, LA 70817
Contest finalists will be contacted ahead of time, and winners will be announced at a special Holocaust Memorial Service on May 2nd at 2 pm at Unified Congregation of Baton Rouge. Event details will follow later.
Prizes will be awarded in each contest division.
1st place $50 gift card to Barnes & Noble, $50 cash
2nd place $35 gift card to Barnes & Noble, $25 cash
3rd place $35 gift card to Barnes & Noble, $20 cash