Two Junior High students, Rylen Primous and Addison Woodburn, recently won second place in the poetry and art contests for the Jewish Community Relations Council’s Student Holocaust Writing/Media Contest. Students from all over Mahoning and Shenango Valleys take part in the contest annually. Rylen Primous received second place in the Grades 7-8 Poetry Division for her piece, “Arbeit macht frei.” Addison Woodburn received second place in the Grades 7-8 Multimedia Division for her piece, “Auschwitz a place on Earth.” This marks her second consecutive year as a winner in this contest.
This year’s contest theme was, “Auschwitz – A Place on Earth.” This choice came from a 16 panel exhibit made by Yad Vashem which documents the arrival and processing of Hungarian Jewish people at Auschwitz-Birkenau in 1944 though rare photographs. This powerful and emotional exhibit was open to the public at the Jewish Community Center’s Thomases Family Endowment Art Gallery from April 23- April 30, 2025.
Held in conjunction with Yom Hashoah, Holocaust Memorial Day, the contest encourages students to engage thoughtfully with history through multiple forms of creative expression. This year’s award ceremony was held at the Mahoning County Courthouse on April 29, 2025 at noon.
Having entered the contest last year for extra credit, eighth grader Addison Woodburn returned this year with her passion for creating art. She shared that this year’s theme was darker and more emotional compared to last years. Her drawing depicted a Star of David constructed from barbed wire, Auschwitz in the middle of the star, and a meaningful word on each point. “Each aspect of the drawing has meaning. I feel that the Star of David carries the heaviest weight, as it is obviously important to the Jewish religion. The barbed wire symbolizes how prisoners couldn’t escape. The words ‘hate, hope, anger, peace, love, faith’ all represent different emotions from this time,” Addison said. Addison explored different ideas, including a 3D concept, before beginning her drawing.
“I had to do a little research on Auschwitz in order to understand it,” she said.
Outside of school Addison enjoys drawing in her free time and plans on competing in future art contests. She has some advice for students who consider entering next year. “Take your time, don’t rush. You can always redo and start over, it is a part of the process.”
Seventh grader Rylen Primous wrote a poem from a Jewish prisoner’s perspective living in Auschwitz. “I could get extra credit, and my friend told me it was easy to apply to, ” Rylen said, when asked why she entered the contest.
While she doesn’t write poetry often, Rylen approached the contest by researching concentration camps and reading other poems for inspiration. Rylen found first hand accounts from Holocaust survivors and it deepend her understanding and empathy. “They explained in more detail what they went through.”
Rylen is proud of her work and believes poetry is a strong way to express difficult topics. She said that it helps her writing skills and she enjoys having the opportunity to write about a topic that interests her.
Congratulations to Rylen Primous and Addison Woodburn for their accomplishments! Their creativity and thoughtfulness reminds us of the importance of history through expression. 
