| Our Young Writers Contest inspired hundreds of middle-school and high-school students to share what freedom means to them in this time of remote-learning and social isolation. Our young authors come, of course from the United States, but also from Canada, Europe and Africa. They sent essays, poems and short stories. The talent and intelligence on display has been both exhilarating and daunting. Our judges — former U.S. Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro; Dahlia Lithwick, who writes about the Supreme Court for Slate; The Jewish Education Project’s Nicole Fine and Hillary Gardenswartz; Jodi Rudoren, editor-in-chief of the Forward; and Nora L. Sissenich, a first-year high school student who originally conceived of the contest and who just happens to be my daughter — had a tough time selecting the winners, whose pieces represent only a fraction of the terrific work we received. You can read all the winning entries here. Congratulations to the winners, who each receive $180 in addition to the glory, and the two runners-up in each category, who receive $72 and $36.
And don't miss my talk with the winners on Wednesday, June 10 at 4 p.m. ET. | 
