Ella Fried - Walled Lake Central (1st Place in Nonfiction)

The Power of Questions

Abstract: a personal account of the power of questions and how asking them has shaped her worldview and her understanding of Judaism, and how they can bring people together and allow us to have compassion for others.

Ellery Gnesin - West Bloomfield High School (1st Place in Nonfiction)

Am I Really A Bat Mitzvah?

Abstract: a personal account of her Bat Mitzvah that took place on Zoom due to Covid-19.

Dylan Young - Bloomfield Hills High School (Honorable Mention in Nonfiction)

The Experience of Israel

Abstract: a personal account of his trip to Israel in 2018 and how it changed his life and understanding of how important Israel is to him and the Jewish people.

Ella Blank - Wylie E. Groves High School (Participant: Poetry)

The Jewish Mountain Range

Abstract: a poem describing the struggles of early and modern Jewish figures and how they demonstrate the power of resilience 

Ashlee Frankford - West Bloomfield High School (Participant: Nonfiction)

You Can Be Jewish No Matter What

Abstract: an essay expressing that there is more than one way to both be Jewish and to practice Judaism.

Ariella Gottfried - Bais Yaakov High School (Participant: Nonfiction)

I'm a Jew and I'm Proud

Abstract: an essay describing the privilege that Jews have in the 21st century in being able to practice Judaism and to be Jewish openly.

Benjamin Lerner - Berkley High School (Participant: Nonfiction)

Unity in Words

Abstract: an essay on how the Hebrew language serves as unifier for Jews in the Diaspora and in Israel