Washington State: Honoring the rescuers

For three years, Temple Beth Shalom (Spokane, Washington) has invited area high school students to enter a writing competition (an essay or poem) as part of the community's Holocaust observance.

The theme this year was “Honoring the Rescuers: People Who Saved Jews During the Holocaust.” Students wrote about the qualities of a rescuer, imagining what they would do if they lived next door to a Jewish family during the Holocaust and what it would take to persuade them to be a rescuer.

The Spokesman-Review carried the entry of the winner, Camille Byrd. Also printed (and found at links on that page) were the entries of runners-up Michaelanne Foster ("Guardian Angels: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Circumstances")," and a poem by Jessica Pennock. The three young women are sophomores at Gonzaga Preparatory School.