A local student at Northwest Yeshiva High School recently won third place in the annual Jacob Friedman Holocaust Writing and Art Contest, sponsored by the Washington State Holocaust Education Resource Center.

Adira Reback, a freshman in Virginia Hess’ class at the school, won after writing an essay answering the question: “How would your life be different if people were more respectful and tolerant of each other’s differences? How does change begin with you?”

Reback wrote in her essay: “I’ve grown up very sheltered; since I was 3 years old, I have been going to Jewish day cares and schools, with only other Jews who share my beliefs. I have never really been faced with the challenge of accepting others’ differences. To personally start making change in the world, to accept others’ differences, we must put ourselves into positions where we can learn about others’ heritages and gain friendliness with people from all corners of the Earth.”

The winners of both the writing and art contests were selected by a panel of judges from more than 750 entries. The winners and their teachers will be honored at the Holocaust Center’s spring luncheon on May 23 on Mercer Island. The winners can also be viewed online at the Holocaust Center’s Web site: www.wsherc.org.