Palo Alto Students Invited To Essay Contest With Sister City

PALO ALTO, CA — High school students in Palo Alto are invited to participate in an international “civil courage” essay contest with the opportunity to visit Palo Alto’s sister city of Enschede in the Netherlands, and win cash prizes.

The essay prompt, dedicated to Pastor Leendert Overduin’s humanitarian efforts during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands, asks contestants to answer the questions: “How is selfless devotion to others evidenced in the modern era?”, “In the age of social media, is it harder to do good for the sake of good?” and “Does that matter, as long as good works are manifested?”

Essays should be between 500 and 800 words.

Palo Alto and Enschede have been sister cities since 1980 and the cross-border contest was organized by Palo Alto-based nonprofit Neighbors Abroad.

“The City of Palo Alto is honored to partner with Enschede in this essay contest as a means for current generations to recognize how the courage of an individual can have a lasting impact on countless lives while inspiring us to love and care for each other,” Palo Alto Mayor Pat Burt said. “It offers our young citizens an opportunity to reflect on Pastor Overduin’s legacy and to reflect on how his actions relate directly to today’s important need to live up to our equity and social justice values.”

Overduin saved hundreds of Jewish children by using an underground network of safehouses in the countryside of the Netherlands, and then continued to provide aid to orphaned children after the war.

“It astounds me that Pastor Overduin, to whom I owe my very existence, is virtually unknown,” said Uri Elzur, the son of one of the children Overduin saved.

Elzur, who is also a board member at Kol Emeth, a Palo Alto congregation, partnered with Neighbors Abroad to develop the essay contest.

“This essay contest aims to address what it means to demonstrate courage and humanitarianism without the expectation of recognition, certainly a compelling topic in the social media age,” Elzur said. “I am honored to help spearhead this important initiative between Palo Alto and Enschede.”

Current high school students in Palo Alto, East Palo Alto, Mountain View, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Atherton and Menlo Park and Redwood City are eligible for the contest.

Three winners will be selected, and the top two will be invited to visit Enschede. The first place winner will also be awarded $500, with second place receiving $300 and third place $100.

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The deadline for entries is May 1. Essays should be emailed to [email protected]. Students should provide their home address, email address, phone number, the name of their high school, their grade, age and contact information for their parents or guardians.="mailto:[email protected]">