Masks? Cool!
Europe-wide Competition of the Ronald S. Lauder Foundation: Children Turn Masks into Pieces of Art
To support families in providing their children with Jewish education, the Ronald S. Lauder Foundation established Lauder E-Learning Schools in towns with small Jewish communities. In response to the challenges brought on by the pandemic, a Europe-wide mask contest was held, thus providing children with an artistic tool with which to express themselves during these uncertain times. Close to 100 masks were submitted from over 35 cities in five countries. The final international competition was judged by Mrs. Jo Carole Lauder.
These beautiful masks are now part of the Jewish Musem Berlin collection
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“Mixed Mask” by Hannah, age 10, from Leipzig
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“Sevivon Mask” by Naomi, age 12, from Leipzig
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“Oi Vey” by Xenja from Fürth
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“Chanukkia” by a student at the Lauder E-Learning School Germany, age 10, from Osnabrück
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“Life” by Maria, age 13
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“Hanukkah Mask” by Daniel, age 9, from Düsseldorf
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“Magen David” by Yael, age 10
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“Hanukkah Mask” by Batia, age 9, from Cologne
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“A Crown Forever and the Other One Never!” by Michael, age 7, from Stuttgart
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“Perek 121” by Lia, age 15, from Cologne
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“Dreidel” by Shalom Gabriel, age 6
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“Loud, Louder, Lauder” by Raphael, age 13, from Stuttgart
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“Noah’s Ark” by Yafa, age 8
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“Purim Game in Times of Corona” by Veniamin age 7, from Munich
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“My idea was to add something from all the holidays. Because I couldn‘t show all of them, I chose Hanukkah, Passover, Rosh ha-Shanah and Purim and drew one symbol for each holiday.”
Hannah, age 10, from Leipzig
Jewish Museum Berlin, photo: Roman März
“My idea was not only to highlight the topic of Chanukkah, but also to create a mask which would be something more than an ordinary protector and will stand out. The ribbon with the letters of Sevivon–Nun, Gimel, Heh and Shin–is movable, so that you can switch between them. This way, I wanted to show the four sides of a Sevivon.”
Naomi, age 12, from Leipzig
Jewish Museum Berlin, photo: Roman März
“In these times, when the world is quite a mess, you sometimes just want to take a deep breath and say Oi vey :) ”
Xenja from Fürth
Jewish Museum Berlin, photo: Roman März
“Let the light of the Hanukkiah always shine in our souls.”
Student at the Lauder E-Learning School Germany, age 10, from Osnabrück
Jewish Museum Berlin, photo: Roman März
“It is a wordplay—the girl says Hi! and the boy answers in Hebrew: Live long and prosper! And the word Life, which is my favourite word, in four languages: life is a precious gift from God and everything has a purpose in our life.”
Maria, age 13
Jewish Museum Berlin, photo: Roman März
“With this perfect mask you can have a very great Hanukkah experience. No one could have imagined such an ingenious mask, even the Maccabees!”
Daniel, age 9, from Düsseldorf
Jewish Museum Berlin, photo: Roman März
“I have chosen a Magen David for my mask. It is my shield and protection, made in divine colour, which is tchelet, the color of the Tallit, Tsisit and the color of my land Eretz Israel. The golden flame enlightens the children of the Lauder E-Learning Schools.”
Yael, age 10
Jewish Museum Berlin, photo: Roman März
“I thought, because Hanukkah was just around the corner, that it might have something to do with Hanukkah?! You see a Hanukkiah with its nine candles. Just like on Hanukkah, you can light the candles every day. You can clip the candles to the Hanukkiah with snaps.”
Batia, age 9, from Cologne
Jewish Museum Berlin, photo: Roman März
“There is always a crown on our Torah scroll and this crown is eternal: it gets a big Like. The other crown is only here for a short time: it gets a huge Dislike.”
Michael, age 7, from Stuttgart
Jewish Museum Berlin, photo: Roman März
“I wanted to make a simple representation of the Psalm 121, with which I wanted to show that Hashem supports us in the times of the pandemic. My help comes from God is the sentence on my mask. For this psalm I used a silver thread to emphasize the significance of the verse.”
Lia, age 15, from Cologne
Jewish Museum Berlin, photo: Roman März
“It’s not so long until Hanukkah and I thought of making my mask in the shape of a Dreidel, a Sevivon made of ironing beads.”
Shalom Gabriel, age 6
Jewish Museum Berlin, photo: Roman März
“The situation, when everyone is wearing a mask, doesn’t prevent us from participating in the cool programs of Lauder!”
Raphael, age 12, from Stuttgart
Jewish Museum Berlin, photo: Roman März
“On my mask there are two tigers, two lions, two giraffes, two elephants, two bears, two wolves, two flamingos, two penguins, two crocodiles, and two horses. Hashem has saved Noah’s family and the animals and therefore, will save us every time.”
Yafa, age 8
Jewish Museum Berlin, photo: Roman März
It is a goal of the Jewish Museum Berlin to present Jewish life in all its many voices. Networking with social, cultural and religious organizations serves this purpose. The Ronald S. Lauder Foundation has generously donated a selection of the masks submitted by children living in Germany: they bear witness to vibrant Jewish life in the immediate present. Many thanks to the families!
