Prizes awarded in SZCV Art & Hebrew Competition 2006

The State Zionist Council held its awards presentation for the 11th annual Art and Hebrew Poetry and Prose Competition, as part of Yom Yerushalayim on Sunday May 21st, at Beth Weizmann Community Centre. Achievements and high commendations were awarded for excellence in both Art and Ivrit, as an impressive 240 children from across Melbourne’s Jewish Day Schools participated in this year’s competition.

Prizes were awarded by, Ms. Julie Gross-McAdam for Art; Mr. Michael Cohen, SZC Hebrew Culture Chairman for Year 8 Poetry & Prose, and Mrs. Ginette Searle, SZCV Executive Director, for Year 9 Poetry & Prose.

Students produced work on the topic “Sipuro shel makom – My favourite place in Israel”. Not only was the calibre of work exceptionally high, but it was fascinating to read about how very different places in Israel had touched young people in so many ways. From Jerusalem to Eilat, from Beer Sheva to Hamat Gader and Tzfat, students articulately expressed in Hebrew their connection to these places and to the whole of Israel.

Judging for the poetry and prose categories was done by Michal Enk, an experienced Hebrew teacher and VCE Hebrew examiner.
The State Zionist Council was particularly proud to have the involvement of Julie Gross-McAdam. Gross-McAdam is an extremely talented artist who has been working for many years to advance the cause of peace through artwork, in the Jewish, Christian and Muslim communities. She established and manages the MAC ART program, whereby she creates huge drawings which are then worked on by a community of her choosing. The most special part of the project is that a living, breathing dynamic emerges from each and every artwork.

Ms. Gross-McAdam has already created ten art pieces this way, and they are all expressions of peace. Her most recent work, “Circle of Peace”, in conjunction with Makor Library, depicts a tree of life enclosing a circle of doves, representing the circle of peace. Julie invited women and girls of all ages to assist her in painting it. This is Julie’s second time working with Makor, after the tremendous response to her previous work commemorating the Holocaust.

“Circle of Peace” is currently on display at the Springvale Library until the end of May.

Gross-McAdam said of the art entries: “This year’s entrants have done a wonderful job of conveying all the diverse and beautiful areas of Israel. Each entrant has used talent and skill in their own unique way, and each picture is a winner in its own special way”.

The Art and Hebrew Poetry and Prose Competition is held in conjunction with Makor Library.

Below a list of winners in each category: