From left to right: Emma Cooney (2nd place high school), Abbie Kratofil (2nd place middle school), Emma Du (first place middle school), Caroline Lubbe (3rd place middle school), John Lubianetsky (1st place high school). Not pictured: Landon Surber (3rd place high school).
White Rose Student Essay Contest Winners Announced
The 2018-2019 White Rose Student Essay Contest finalists have been announced. You can see a full list and read the winning essays below.
Flight from the Reich
Between the Nazi rise to power in 1933 and the invasion of Poland in 1939, Nazi policy toward the Jews encouraged their social and economic isolation from non-Jews. With the ultimate aim of pressuring Jews to emigrate from the country, the Nazis utilized increasingly restrictive laws to force this separation – eventually progressing to organized violence.
By the spring of 1938, these policies were in force against German, Austrian and Czech Jews from the Sudetenland, as the Reich expanded through territorial acquisition. Despite this pressure to leave the country, many Jews had little interest in leaving their homes, especially as they faced restrictive immigration quotas and obstacles to their successful entry into another country. The situation reached a breaking point following Kristallnacht when Jews in the Reich perceived an immediate threat to their safety, prompting an international refugee crisis which demanded the attention of world leaders.
This year’s contest asked students to analyze the conditions experienced by Jews living within the Reich during the 1930s and explore what choices were open to them as potential emigrants.
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