|
|
March 15, 2013
Power of having opinions heard
An annual contest sees local children enjoy public speaking competition.
MAAYAN KREITZMAN
The Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver’s boardroom was packed to standing-room only – parents, grandparents and herds of children in school uniforms moved in and out of the room, exchanging encouragement, chatter and pure nerves as they waited for the Grade 5 session to begin.
“I can’t do it, I can’t do it,” moaned a girl in a Vancouver Talmud Torah cardigan, hamming up her obvious anxiety in a comically pathetic display.
The annual Jewish community public speaking contest for elementary school students in grades 4-7 took place on Wednesday, Feb. 27. The yearly affair puts students on the podium to give speeches, which they have written and practised on topics like Jewish history, values and Israel. The evening culminates with all the grade levels gathering together in the Wosk Auditorium to see the prizes awarded and to hear the winning speeches.
The contest today is run by Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver, with longstanding support from State of Israel Bonds. For the Barzelai family, who sponsor the contest, the event is a family affair. Larry Barzelai’s father, Morris Black, left a provision in his will to fund an essay-writing contest in his community of Peterborough, Ont., in 1970. Larry’s brother, Rick, renewed the idea, creating a public speaking contest in 1984 in his community of Hamilton Ont., which he has sponsored ever since. Larry followed in his brother’s footsteps, starting the Vancouver contest a handful of years later.
The children are divided into groups according to grade level, except for a special group for Hebrew-language speeches made up of children at all grade levels. The volunteer judges and moderators, fresh from training sessions, dutifully corral the proceedings and mark the speeches with solemn attention and gravity, bestowing equal weight to content and presentation. Each contestant receives a certificate and a free membership to the Isaac Waldman Jewish Public Library before joining the other groups in the auditorium for the final show. Here, in a crescendo of excitement, the students with the three best speeches from each group are called up to receive their trophies. The winning child from each group is recognized with a cheque from State of Israel Bonds, and the honor of giving his or her speech to the whole room.
This year’s topics ranged from perennial favorites (Jewish heroes, holidays and important events in Israel’s history), to topics inspired by current affairs (creating a disaster relief campaign based on the concepts of tzedakah and gemilut chasadim; creating an anti-bullying campaign using the laws on lashon harah as guidance). The standout hit topic was “What is your Hebrew name? Share with us its meaning and significance.” Another notable aspect was the number of contestants who chose grandparents or other family members as their heroes, sharing family stories steeped in history and personal reflections. Contestants could also prepare a speech on a topic of their own choosing. Some original topics were “Why should a boy wear a kippah?” “What does Judaism have to say about the environment?” and even Israel’s right to defend itself.
This year’s topics seem to have taken a turn to the apolitical. In previous decades, topics like “Should Israel trade land for peace?” took centre stage at the contest. When asked if this was a trend, Larry Barzelai responded, “I’ve stepped back from chairing the contest, so I don’t choose the topics anymore. The schools have a close relationship with the Federation, so their education people work in collaboration with the teachers to make the decision and pick the most appropriate topics,” he said. “I can put my two cents in, but they make the final decision.”
“Speaking is an important life skill,” said Saul Khalifa, who placed first in the Grade 6 category. Asked what he enjoyed the most about preparing his speech, he said, “I learned a lot about who I thought of as real heroes.” Saul, clad in a hockey jersey, gave his original topic speech on what real heroism is through the lens of disappointment in fallen sports stars.
Saul’s grandmother, Tamar Khalifa, was “Very proud,” she said, “his speech was different.” Grandfather Albert Khalifa looked around the room and said, “It was so wonderful to see the kids so intelligent and joyful. They were all good.”
In the auditorium, the room appeared to get more and more crowded as the proceedings advanced through each of the groups. It certainly got louder, as the increasingly rowdy crowd vented its excitement. While the sponsors and organizers received polite applause when they were acknowledged, each first-, second- and third-place winner was heartily cheered. Chants from each of the schools burst out periodically as excited kids from VTT and Richmond Jewish Day School voiced their school pride, trying to drown each other out.
When Rabbi Matthew Bellas, VTT’s school rabbi, was asked about his school’s near sweep of the top prizes, he was magnanimous. “I’m proudest that the kids put themselves out there, of how many students stepped up and had the courage to speak and participate,” he commented.
Prielle Laniado, winner of Grade 4, group 1, perhaps expressed the overall sentiment the best after giving her winning speech on why Pesach is her favorite holiday: “I’m really nervous and excited, even though [the evening has] already ended – I’m so excited for next year.”
Maayan Kreitzman is a public speaking contest alumna and freelance writer in Vancouver.
And the winners were:
Grade 4, group one: Prielle Laniado (first), Maya Ava McNamara (second), Menachem Yeshayahu (third)
Grade 4, group two: Jonah Ezekiel (first), Tahlia Coleman (second), Charlie-Ben Glassman (third)
Grades 4, group three: Jacob Berman (first), Mordechai Wolfson (second), Ilana Gutz (third)
Grade 5, group one: Benjamin Bogdonov (first), Eva Dobrovolska (second), Aaron Schaffer (third)
Grade 5, group two: Maya Bellas (first), Zev Kline (second), Talia Horvath and Rachel Porte (third)
Grade 6: Saul Khalifa (first), Jack Abramowich (second), Libby Seltzer (third)
Grade 7: Liron Gertsman (first), Daniel Teperson (second), Tali Yaffe (third)
Hebrew: Lyrie Murad (first), Neta Sar-Shalom (second), Ori Yaron (third)
^TOP
|
|
