As most of us know, the 26th annual Sala and Aron Samueli Holocaust Art & Writing Contest is well underway, and every Royal has been tasked with creating a submission that reflects on “what we would bring when we do not know where we are going.” Whether it be a poem, artwork, film or prose, many Royals have utilized their creative skills in a variety of different ways to answer this prompt. Down below are just a few examples of the many astonishing pieces of work our Royals have created:
First up, senior Adreanna Esquivias decided to put her editing skills to test and create a film revolving around a personal testimony from the Holocaust. She explained, “I’m doing my Holocaust project on Esther Clifford, a Holocaust survivor. My spin on the prompt is that the material things with you when you don’t know where your going don’t matter, but rather the people you leave with.” This is a wonderful mindset to have, and a creative approach to the project.
Next, we have another submission from a Royal who decided to write a poem. Here’s a sneak peek at what our amazing students are capable of:
Like a bird who’d been forced to flee the nest,
Or a bear crawling gun-point from its den.
Like a moon without an earth,
Or an ocean without a shore to kiss.
They led us from our home, our nests, our dens
And made us call the animal a friend.
Lastly, we have another beautifully-written poem by Sarah Conley ’27. Here is just a snippet of how Sarah decided to incorporate the five different senses into her theme:
But worst of all, I still feel it all.
I feel every gunshot that was aimed at one of my people’s hearts.
I feel the chills as they roll down my skin as the rush of winter would hit.
I feel the tears roll down my face as the memory of my parents being taken is replayed over and over again in my mind.
I feel the hurt, the pain, the scars that still traumatize my soul.
I still see, hear, smell, taste, and feel it all because even if I try not to,
I remember it all.
I hope everyone had a memorable experience learning about such an important event in our history. It is so amazing to truly see how creative our Royals are; it takes some serious skill to create art, writing and film at this level.
