-
The Mina Rosner Human Rights Award
-
The Jewish Heritage Centre of Western Canada is proud to sponsor the Mina Rosner Human
Rights Award. The monetary prize is awarded annually to a Manitoba student in grade 9-12 who
submits the best essay on the theme of the Holocaust or other important human rights issues.
The winning essay should exemplify the message that Mina Rosner brought to schools and the
general public. Mina Rosner was a Winnipeg mother, grandmother, businesswoman, author,
educator and Holocaust survivor. She grew up In Buchach, now in the Ukraine and saw her
friends, family and community murdered by the Nazis. She recorded her wartime experiences in
her book I am a Witness. In 1990, she returned to Buchach for the first time since the war, and
the visit was captured in an award-winning CBC documentary called Return to Buchach. The
sole survivor in her family, she moved to Winnipeg in 1948.
-
Mina Rosner devoted many hours to educating people about the horrors of the Holocaust. In
addition to her book, she spoke to hundreds of students on the importance of combating racism
and discrimination and defending human rights. After her passing in 1997, Mina Rosner’s
friend’s and family decided to honour her memory and keep her legacy alive by creating “The
Mina Rosner Memorial Fund” at the Jewish Foundation of Manitoba.
-
Essays will be judged for proficiency in conducting research, presentation of issues, sincerity,
coherence, and writing skills. Students are encouraged to visit the Freeman Family Foundation
Holocaust Education Centre Asper Jewish Community Campus, 123 Doncaster Street to learn
more about the Holocaust. Essays should be 1000 -1500 words in length, typed double-spaced
and neatly presented.
-
Please send entries to the Mina Rosner Human Rights Award, c/o The Jewish Heritage Centre
of Western Canada (Attention: Belle Jarniewski), C140-123 Doncaster Street, Winnipeg, Manitoba,
R3N 2B2. Entries may also be submitted electronically to jewishheritage@jhcwc.org. Please
note “MIna Rosner Essay Competition Entry” in the subject line and use Microsoft Word format
or PDF format. Please ensure that you provide an email address, name and phone number
where you can be reached. Any questions may be submitted to the same email address with
“Mina Rosner Essay Competition Question” in the subject line.
-
The deadline for all submissions to this competition is May 30, of each calendar year