The results of Project Shine 2.0 are in!
For your information, Project Shine 2.0 had participants from over 25 Jewish schools from four countries, (the US, Canada, South Africa and Israel) and from all streams of Am Yisrael. Achdut and unity has never been more important for the Jewish people than during these topsy turvy times.
For next year we are looking to expand to more schools and more countries, so keep your eyes open for the Project Shine 3.0 announcement and help spread the word!
The Winners and Honorable Mentions are as follows:
Junior Division Art contest
1st place – Talia Leubitz, 7th grade, Brauser Maimonides Academy, USA
2nd place – Lexi Gelbard, 6th grade, Brawerman Elementary School, USA
3rd place – Tzipporah Holzer, 7th grade, Chorev Girls Elementary School, Israel
Honorable Mention – Yael Marcus, 8th grade, Netivot Hatorah Day School, Canada
Junior Division Poetry contest
1st place – Noa Singer, 6th grade, Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy, USA
2nd place – Jordan Meyerowitz, 6th grade, Bialik HDS-Viewmount, Canada
3rd place – Dahlia Messeloff, 6th grade, Fuchs Mizrachi School, USA
Honorable Mention – Layla Negrin, 6th grade, Brawerman Elementary School, USA
Senior Division Art contest
1st place – Maytal Chelst, 9th grade, YUHSG/Central, USA
2nd place – Adina Firestone, 11th grade, Chaviva High school for Girls, USA
3rd place – Malka Moshkovits, 9th grade, Ulpanat Orot Girls School, Canada
Honorable Mention – Aryeh Ellis, 12th grade, Telshe Yeshiva High School, USA
Senior Division Poetry contest
1st place – Rachel Reichman, 11th grade, Bais Yaakov Machon Ora, USA
2nd place – Shani Basilyan, 11th grade, Bais Yaakov Machon Ora, USA
3rd place – Eliana Bane, 10th grade, Frisch School, USA
Honorable Mention – Atara Koplowitz, 9th grade, Bruriah Girls High School,USA
Video/Creative art contest
1st place – Noa Alpern, 6th grade, Brawerman Elementary School, USA
2nd place – Gabriel Lauter, 6th grade, King David Linksfield Senior Primary School, South Africa
3rd place – Noam Mizrahi, 7th grade, Israel
Winners of the First Project Shine contest
and their projects:
First Place Winners:
Ilana Borison and Chaya Greenberg – 8th grade students
South Peninsula Hebrew Day School, Sunnyvale, California
Through their project, Tree of Life, Ilana and Chaya hope to instill an appreciation for nature in the center of the tech world, the Silicon Valley. The vision of the program is to offer children with special needs a chance to see nature’s beauty. They will run educational workshops throughout the year about different plants that are mentioned in the Torah. Then, together they will run a hands-on gardening activity. Often, children with special needs are on the receiving end. Through these workshops, Ilanaand Chaya hope to give children with special needs a chance to give back. Planting trees will provide the children with two ways of giving back: A. through the beauty of the trees and B. the life sustaining oxygen the trees provide.
Second Place Winner
Joseph Pool – 6th grade student
The David Posnack Hebrew Day School, Davie, Florida
Joseph’s program, Shine a Vision, hopes to help the visually impaired population. Among his various goals, Joseph’s vision is to spread awareness of services available. Joseph hopes to also have a small table top display distributed to all Jewish Day School, Senior Centers and other appropriate Jewish agencies with marketing materials and a set of large print Siddurs, Chumashim, and Holiday prayer books. Eventually, Joseph hopes to have these books translated with the help of the Jewish Braille Institute – that way the services can reach a greater audience.
Third Place Winners:
Shira David and Tali Rosenzweig – 7th grade students
Akiva Schechter Jewish Day School, Chicago, Illinois
Shira hopes to make a difference using her musical talent along with some musical friends. Concerts for Cancer will be holding concerts throughout the year to fund a variety of programs. Shira hopes to fund Tali’s program which would be spreading awareness of preventative measures that can be taken. Additionally, The project will be offering services to help children cope with the reality of illness in the family, be it a parent or a sibling.
Honorary mention:
Lilly Braun and Chana Wakslak – 7th grade students
Toras Emes and Yeshiva Aharon Yaakov Ohr Eliyahu
Los Angeles, California
Through their program, On your Mark, Get Set, Pedal, Lilly and Chana will collect gently used bicycles and scooters. They will refurbish them and donate them to children who can not afford them since Chana and Lilly feel that bikes are important for the environment, for exercise, and for a child’s sense of independence. Additionally, Chana and Lilly will offer short-term rentals with an optional donation fee which will hopefully go toward refurbishing more bikes.