December 31, 2004/Tevet 19 5765, Vol. 57, No. 18
Local girl wins essay contest
STEPHANIE N. HENSCHEL
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| The Essay |
In fact, the Jess Schwartz Jewish Community High School student has demonstrated this with a powerful essay she wrote for the MERCAZ USA-Canada/Women's League Essay Contest.
MERCAZ USA is the Zionist membership organization of the Conservative Movement, whose mission is to support religious pluralism in Israel and strengthen the connection between Israel and the Diaspora.
Storch won second place for her essay about the so-called powerlessness of the Jewish people (see sidebar).
Winners of the contest receive scholarships for Conservative programs in Israel. Storch, who attends Camp Ramah in California, will head to Israel with a group from the camp this summer for six weeks - including two weeks in Poland - with the $400 scholarship she received.
According to Storch, a seven-year Camp Ramah veteran, campers travel to the Jewish state for a seminar after they finish their last year at the camp.
This won't be the first time she has been to Israel. She visited in January 2000, and returned in January 2001 for her bat mitzvah.