Kaplen JCC Presents Poetry Slam for Holocaust Remembrance

The Kaplen JCC on the Palisades is accepting submissions for the 2014 Abe Oster Holocaust Remembrance Award, a living memorial to the 6 million Jewish victims of the Holocaust.

The contest is open to high school students of all backgrounds who live in Bergen County or are enrolled in a Bergen County public or private high school.  

This year’s contest is Poetry Slam. Applicants are challenged to create an original videotaped poem or narrative monologue that, when performed, communicates the relevance of the Holocaust in the 21st century. 

As an art, poetry slams are characterized as “performance poetry,” which puts a dual emphasis on writing and performance, and encourages poets to focus on what they are saying as well as how they are saying it. 

Contest rules:

♦ Write an original poem, three minutes maximum, that was created solely for the contest
♦ Videotape a reading of the poem (no props, costumes or musical instruments) 
♦ Upload the video to YouTube and submit the link along with the application. 

Contestant winners and runners-up will perform or show their videotaped performance at the Yom Hashoah Commemoration at the JCC on April 27. The first place winner will receive a $1,000 cash prize; second 
place winner will receive $500. Honorable Mention will be awarded to additional winners. 

The Abe Oster Holocaust Remembrance Award was established in 2005 to honor the memory of Abe Oster who worked with his wife, Ann, to encourage young people to study the Holocaust and to inspire them to create works of art that demonstrate a historical and moral understanding of the Shoah.

Send submissions to the Kaplen JCC on the Palisades, 411 East Clinton Ave., Tenafly, N.J. 07670, Attention: Jessica Spiegel, Judaic Director. Call 201-408-1426 or email jspiegel@jccotp.org. Contest 
rules and applications may be downloaded from the JCC website www.jccotp.org or from the NJ Department of 
Education at http://www.state.nj.us/education/holocaust/stawards/ .