White Rose Society
“The White Rose was a non-violent, intellectual resistance group in Nazi Germany which was led by five students and one professor at the University of Munich: Willi Graf, Kurt Huber, Christoph Probst, Alexander Schmorell, Hans Scholl and Sophie Scholl. The group conducted an anonymous leaflet and graffiti campaign that called for active opposition to the Nazi regime. Their activities started in Munich on 27 June 1942; they ended with the arrest of the core group by the Gestapo on 18 February 1943. They, as well as other members and supporters of the group who carried on distributing the pamphlets, faced show trials by the Nazi People’s Court; many of them were imprisoned and executed.” Excerpt from Wikipedia
Each year, the Peoria Holocaust Memorial and the Jewish Federation of Peoria honor the memory and work of the White Rose members with an essay contest for all Peoria area middle and high school students, focused on telling the stories of the child victims of the Holocaust.
Congratulations to the 2023 Winners
White Rose Society Essay Contest Prompt
Information on Next Year's Contest Coming Soon
Topic: “CHILDREN AND THE HOLOCAUST”
A poet once remarked that the death of a child is the loss of infinite possibilities. What, then, can be said about the more than one-and-a-half million Jewish children who were murdered by the Nazis during the Holocaust years (1933-1945)? Of course, many more boys and girls suffered unimaginable hardships and bore witness to the brutality of the Nazis. Some survived. Many did not. Regardless of how experiences varied from country to country, children’s lives were changed forever. The purpose of this essay contest is to record the stories that must be told to yesterday’s, today’s and tomorrow’s children
Part A: Research the history of a specific child or youth who was caught in or witnessed the events of the Holocaust in Europe. This person could have lived in a ghetto, been hidden, carried out clandestine activities, been a part of a kindertransport, known the horrors of concentration camps and/or experienced the Holocaust in a myriad of other ways. He or she could have been a Jew or a non-Jew, or have been a part of a family or a group of children suffering the same fate. Describe the conditions under which this individual lived and the circumstances that impacted his/her life during the Holocaust years. If he or she survived, briefly explain what happened after 1945.
Part B: Tell how learning about the Holocaust through the personal story of this one individual makes the Holocaust more meaningful to you.
Visit Us
- At the corner of Washington & Liberty Streets, on the grounds of the Peoria Riverfront Museum
- For information on tours: 309.689.0063 or
The Peoria Holocaust Memorial is a project of the Jewish Federation of Peoria, a 501(3)c non-profit. All donations to the Memorial are fully tax-deductible. For more information contact the Federation at:
309.689.0063