Education & Art Contests
The Council for Holocaust Education exists to assist and coordinate the Holocaust educational efforts of teachers and students in the greater Tulsa area and beyond.
The Council focuses on Holocaust commemoration and education through several avenues. Among these are:
- Hosting the annual Interfaith Yom HaShoah Commemoration event
- Hosting the Kristallnacht Remembrance event
- Facilitating the Kristallnacht Art Contest
- Facilitating the White Rose Essay Contest
We take our responsibility seriously to ensure that the lessons of the Holocaust are not forgotten. The Holocaust is more than a Jewish story. It is a pivotal event that continues to influence today’s world by addressing the consequences of bullying, bigotry, stereotyping and discrimination, and encouraging the acceptance of diversity. The poetry, art, essays, and exposure to the important lessons of the Holocaust produce benefits beyond measure.
Educational Opportunities
Purim Mask Invitational
February 12, 2027
The Sherwin Miller Museum of Jewish Art would like to invite your school to participate in the 20th Annual Purim Mask Invitational Competition. It is the goal of the Museum to promote understanding of Jewish life and culture through learning about the Jewish holiday of Purim. Students should explore the holiday by learning about the traditions, foods, and celebration of the story of Esther and her rescue of the Jews of Persia. This year’s theme is Mythical Creatures. The winning masks will be exhibited in spring 2027, at The Sherwin Miller Museum of Jewish Art. Other masks will be included in the exhibition as allowed by space and number of entries.
2026 White Rose Memorial Contest
May 6, 2027
The White Rose movement was an intellectual resistance group in Nazi Germany led by five students and one professor at the University of Munich. The group conducted an anonymous leaflet distribution campaign that called for active opposition to the Nazi regime. The White Rose Essay Contest honors the memory of these brave individuals through their chosen medium of written work. The contest allows middle and high school students to reflect on their Holocaust studies through impactful research and a personalized writing experience, using a new theme each year. The contest meets Oklahoma Academic Standards by generating an understanding of the effects of the Holocaust, and highlighting the ramifications of bigotry, stereotyping and discrimination.
All Oklahoma Middle and High School students, grades 6-12 are eligible to enter the contest. Cash prizes awarded to both students and teachers.
Kristallnacht Art Contest
November 5, 2026
2026 Kristallnacht Student Art Contest
From Exclusion to Violence
The Sherwin Miller Museum of Jewish Art invites Oklahoma students in grades 6–12 to participate in the 2026 Kristallnacht Student Art Contest.
This year’s contest combines Holocaust education with original artistic response. Before creating their artwork, students will complete the SMMJA Kristallnacht Learning Packet, which explores the history leading to Kristallnacht through historical photographs, objects from the Museum’s collection, and material from the Sanditen/Kaiser Holocaust Center.
Students will then create an original work of art responding to the contest prompt:
How did the escalating persecution of Jews in Nazi Germany lead to Kristallnacht, and how can art help us understand the experiences of the people who lived through it?
The contest is open to all Oklahoma students in two divisions: Middle School (Grades 6–8) and High School (Grades 9–12).
Submission Deadline: Thursday, November 5, 2026
Student Awards — Each Division
1st Place: $150
2nd Place: $100
3rd Place: $50
Selected students and award winners will be asked to bring their original artwork to The Sherwin Miller Museum of Jewish Art for exhibition. First-, second-, and third-place winners and their parents or guardians will also be invited to the opening reception of The Artist Who Captured Eichmann on Thursday, November 19, 2026 at 6:00 p.m.
Students must complete the learning packet responses by hand and submit them with a photograph of their original artwork and required artist statement. Generative AI is not permitted in the completion of the learning packet, artwork, or artist statement.
Download the 2026 Kristallnacht Learning & Contest Packet below for complete instructions, requirements, entry forms, and submission information.
Any Given Child
Tulsa is one of a handful of cities across the nation participating in the Kennedy Center’s Any Given Child program. In partnership with Tulsa Public Schools, the Mayor’s Office, and 11 additional partner arts organizations in Tulsa, students participate in at least nine free, live arts experiences by the time they reach high school. Any Given Child gives each student a live arts experience combined with related classroom curriculum. Each grade level visits a different arts organization or facility. Eighth graders visit the Sherwin Miller Museum of Jewish Art.
When eighth grade students arrive at The Sherwin Miller Museum of Jewish Art they receive a docent led tour of the Sanditen/Kaiser Holocaust Center as well as the Jewish History and Culture exhibition. Students also visit the Kinder-Stone art installation, a project on the grounds of the museum with names of each of the 1.5 million children who died in the Holocaust. The art installation is simple yet powerful and gives the visiting eighth graders a connection to the lives of the children lost in the Holocaust.
Press
intro copy + link to press kit
