The Henry Pestka Art & Poetry Contest is Supported by The West Michigan Holocaust Partnership:
2024-2025 Contest Resources
Project Prompt
Words are among the most powerful tools we possess as human beings, powerful enough to both destroy and create. Reinforced with fear tactics and propaganda using anti-Semitic words and tropes, these words emboldened some into action and intimidated others into silence. Jews were dehumanized, isolated and discriminated against, paving the way to the unimaginable tragedy of the Holocaust. Learning about the Holocaust provides a profound perspective on the power of words and the inevitable connection between words and human behavior. Guided by what you have learned about the role that words played in the Holocaust, create an art or writing piece that reflects the power of words.
Along with their project, each student will submit an Artist or Author Statement that answers:
In the context of what you’ve learned about the Holocaust, how does your art or writing project reflect the power of words?
2024-2025 Resource Collection
Browse our collection of engaging and meaningful resources below. We've curated our picks around this year's theme to support students in creating their art and writing projects. Noted by a red asterisk (*), these resources have been locally curated to engage students by West Michigan partners. Students and educators are highly encouraged to use these resources as a foundation for their learning and final projects.
#ItStartedWithWords
Claims Conference & Partners
Holocaust survivors from around the world reflect on the moments leading up to the Holocaust - a time they could not have predicted the transition their neighbors, teachers, classmates and colleagues made from words to violence - that will demonstrate how hateful language can evolve into actions with unimaginable outcomes.
Timeline: Antisemitism & the Holocaust
View Survivor Testimony Videos
GVSU Art: Learning Resources & Experiential Opportunities*
GVSU Art Museum & Gallery
GVSU holds the second largest art collection in Michigan. Each semester, learning resources and experiential opportunities related to exhibitions and the collection are created for K-12 educators and the community.
Henry Pestka Art & Poetry Contest Resources
Information on specific artists and history in relation to the Holocaust and prompts for creating an art project for the contest.
Exhibition Resources
Art Collection and Learning Modules
German Nationalism: The Nazi Party Program
U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum
Anyone viewed as genetically inferior was a threat to national health and were seen as enemies or outsiders. This included ethnic groups such as Jews and Roma, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and people with mental illnesses and intellectual or physical disabilities.
Jews in Prewar Germany
Defining the Enemy Threats to the Aryan Race
Culture in the Third Reich: Disseminating the Nazi Worldview
The History of the Swastika Appropriation of an Ancient Symbol
Nazi Rule The Elimination of Democratic Freedoms
'Aryanization' Legalized Theft of Jewish-owned Property
The 'Final Solution' Mass Murder
The Power of Propaganda
U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum
Leading up to and during the Holocaust, stereotypes and tropes were weaponized into propaganda campaigns meant to dehumanize Jewish people and other victims, manipulate people's fears, encourage discrimination and lead to hate and violence.
State of Deception: The Power of Nazi Propaganda
Nazi Propaganda
Propaganda and Media
Deceiving The Public
Indoctrinating Youth
Nazi Propaganda and Censorship
The Olympics: Berlin 1936
From Darkness to Light: Mosaics Inspired by Tragedy
40 Artists Respond to The Tree of Life Shooting
On October 27, 2018, eleven lives were lost and six people were injured, some Holocaust survivors, in a Pittsburgh Synagogue when an armed man entered during religious services and opened fire. This antisemitic terrorist attach was the deadliest attach on a Jewish community in the United States.
Mosaic Gallery
PBS NewsHour Coverage
Holocaust Experiences: Writers and Poets
Writers and Poets in the Ghettos USHMM
Telling the Holocaust Through Poems Sydney Jewish Museum
Commemoration and Poetry Yad Vashem
Poetry and Literature USHMM
The Words of a Young Jewish Poet Smithsonian Magazine
L'dor V'dor: An Eternal Tree*
WGVU Public Media, Emmy Nominated
Henry Pestka survived the horrors of Auschwitz. Pestka and the millions of Jews murdered during the Holocaust are now remembered with the dedication of the sculpture, Ways to Say Goodbye. Hear from the sculptor and family unveiling West Michigan’s first public Holocaust memorial. L’dor V’dor explores art as education and its generational commitment to exposing atrocities against humanity.
View this documentary (26:46)
Student Study Guide
request the Teacher's Key
Dimensions in Testimony
USC Shoah Foundation
Interactive Exhibit. Speak with survivors and other witnesses to the Holocaust and other genocides through their interactive biographies. Ask questions and receive real-time responses to learn about the experiences of those who watched history unfold and lived to tell about it.
Chat with an Interviewee
Exploring Antisemitism
The Holocaust is history's most extreme example of antisemitism. Antisemitism has also been called 'history's oldest hatred'. What is Antisemitism? What is the history of Antisemitism? How can we identify Antisemitism? What can we learn from Antisemitism?
The Roots and Impact of Antisemitism Facing History (lesson plan, grades 6-8)
Antisemitism Anne Frank House (video and digital lesson, grades 6-12)
Antisemitism Explained US Holocaust Memorial Museum (short videos, grades 6-12)
The Catastrophic Impacts of Nazi Ideology Ken Burns PBS Collection (videos and lessons, grades 9-12)
The Oldest Hatred WNET PBS (video, grades 9-12)
Antisemitic Myths ADL (article, grades 9-12)
Podcasts and Audio
U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum
Listen to stories from Holocaust history, interviews with experts and first-hand oral histories from Holocaust survivors.
Explore & Analyze Holocaust Data
The Holocaust began with hateful words and culminated in genocide. Holocaust denial, distortion and comparisons are harmful, and depending on the context, considered a form of hate speech. Combined with personal stories, factual information about the Holocaust create a powerful understanding about history, democracy and human rights.
First Ever 50-State Survey: Gen Z, Millenials and Holocaust Knowledge Claims Conference
Data on Holocaust Victims: How Many People Did the Nazis Murder? U.S. Holocaust Museum
Hate Map Southern Poverty Law Center
Evidence and Documentation of the Holocaust U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum
Audit of Antisemitic Incidents 2023 ADL
Global Antisemitic Incidents Interactive H.E.A.T. Map ADL
The Year in Hate & Extremism Southern Poverty Law Center
Holocaust Images and Art*
Grand Rapids Art Museum
Judy Glickman Lauder's photographs have been exhibited worldwide. Traveling extensively throughout her life, she spent decades visiting Holocaust memorial sites, acting as a witness to her ancestor’s trauma. “We live in a dangerous world and our ability to destroy has only grown many fold since World War II. We cannot allow hatred and injustice, power and greed to gain a foothold – anywhere or towards anyone.”
Bohušovice Train Station at Theresienstadt Concentration Camp, Czechoslovakia
Execution Wall, Auschwitz Extermination Camp, Poland
The West Michigan Holocaust Memorial Website*
Jewish Federation of Grand Rapids, Grand Valley State University
Explore this collection of interactive maps, interviews, and photos of West Michigan Holocaust Survivors. Follow the stories of: Joseph Stevens, Margit Zippert Sarne, Diet Eman, David Mandel, John Mandel, Leon Blum and more.
Learn more about the "Ways to Say Goodbye" Holocaust Memorial Sculpture located at Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Inside Kristallnacht
Claims Conference, USC Shoah Foundation, MakeMePulse, Meta, UNESCO
Mixed Reality VR Experience. November 9-10, 2024, marks the 85th Anniversary (1938) of Kristallnacht, also known as the Night of Broken Glass, was a harrowing turning point during the early stages of the Holocaust. Diplomatic indifference regarding the growing crisis for Jewish refugees emboldened state-sanctioned anti-Jewish pogroms. The violence, destruction and mass arrests of Jews was the beginning of the unimaginable horrors that followed. Accessible through VR headset, internet browser, and mobile devices.
Experience Inside Kristallnacht
Kristallnacht History
The Holocaust and the United States
Antisemitism was not limited to Europe. The American response to what was happening in Europe was shaped by a variety of factors including antisemitism.
The Power of Media in Shaping Americans' Beliefs and Actions During the Holocaust Ken Burns PBS Collection (videos and lessons, grades 6-12)
U.S. Immigration Policy and the Experiences of Jewish Refugees During the Holocaust Ken Burns PBS Collection (videos and lessons, grades 6-12)
The United States and the Holocaust U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum
Grand Rapids Historical Artifacts*
Grand Rapids Public Museum
Explore the extraordinary life of Ralph W. Hauenstein, a leader in our community, remembered for his role as a journalist, his military, and intelligence service, his dedication to the Catholic faith, his entrepreneurship, and his philanthropy in Grand Rapids. His remarkable life demonstrates just how much a great leader can accomplish and serves as an inspiration to the next generation of leaders.
Ralph Hauenstein, A Life of Leadership
Artifacts Collection
Read About the Holocaust
Recommended YA books about the Holocaust. Want to see more suggestions? USHMM YA Literature
Number the Stars Lois Lowry
The Diary of a Young Girl Anne Frank
The Book Thief Markus Zusak
Between Shades of Gray Ruta Sepetys
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas John Boyne
All the Light We Cannot See Anthony Doerr
Sarah's Key Taitiana de Rosnay
Night Elie Wiesel
The Assignment Liza Weimer
Maus (Complete) Art Spiegelman
Four Perfect Pebbles: A Holocaust Story Lila Perl & Marion Blumenthal Lazan
Girl in the Blue Coat Monica Hesse
Salt to the Sea Ruta Sepetys
Holocaust Experiences: Artists
Art During the Holocaust Jewish Women's Archive
Resistance Through Art During the Holocaust and Art from the Holocaust Yad Vashem
Works of Art Auschwitz-Birkenau
The Painting of a Holocaust Experience USHMM
Artwork as a Form of Resistance Holocaust Educational Trust
Artistic Responses to Persecution USHMM
A Guide for Michigan Educators: What's Inside?
A collection of high-quality resources from the most trusted Holocaust education organizations, designed to provide teachers with choices that best meet the learning needs of their students.
- Resources to help educators prepare to teach about the Holocaust.
- Age-appropriate lessons for PreK-12 classrooms.
- Activities, extra tools, and resources to support educators and students in extending their learning about the Holocaust.
- A virtual field trip to the West Michigan Holocaust Memorial at Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park.
Important Contest Policies
Safe spaces for productive conversation and creative expression are integral to creating meaningful learning experiences.
The Henry Pestka Art & Poetry Contest is designed for students who are completing Michigan state education requirements for Holocaust and Genocide Education, enabling them the opportunity to process and reflect on the concepts they learned through writing or art. Learn more about Public Act 170 requiring Michigan students to receive six hours of Holocaust and Genocide Education. Whether intentional or unintentional, entries determined to be in violation of the above policies will be disqualified and are not subject to appeal or review.
Appropriate Content Policy:
All entries must contain appropriate content. Content that is aimed to defame, marginalize, discriminate, demean, or infringe on the human dignity of others, living or deceased, is not permitted. Explicit language, violence, hate speech, or sexual content are not permitted in entries. Most related to this contest, Antisemitism, Islamophobia, and Xenophobia can be especially insidious forms of bigotry, presenting in subtle, but harmful ways.
Original Work & AI Policy:
All submitted writing and art projects must be solely the creation of the students’ original thoughts, ideas, expressions, words, reflections and artistic expressions.Plagiarism, a serious academic offense, includes copying words or ideas from someone else without giving credit, the failure to put quotation marks around unmodified content that was copied from an outside source, and the use of photos, graphs, charts, or other images without acknowledging their source. Additionally, all submitted writing and art projects must be solely the entrant’s original work, and MAY NOT, even partially,originate from AI generation, AI tools, or AI generated sources.This includes, but is not limited to, project components such as images, designs, phrases or summaries from AI platforms, tools, software, filters, libraries etc. Parents and educators may help their student(s) with gathering materials and encouraging project ideas or by supporting and fostering critical thinking and creativity, but all ideas and work must be original to the student(s).
Privacy & Safety Policy:
Entrants are encouraged to use good judgement about what may be shared publicly, and parents, teachers and school advisors are asked to assist by monitoring identifying personal information shared by students in parts of entries that may be posted publicly (full names, school, social media handles, etc.). Additionally, entries containing images or stories of people or organizations (outside of those belonging to the student and that are not already publicly available) MUST provide written consent to be included with the entry form. All parents/guardians must provide consent for students (under the age of 18) to participate and also must sign the media release.
Have questions? We’re happy to help!
To connect with a WGVU Education Team member, e-mail education@wgvu.org or call 616.331.6666.
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