For the 13th consecutive year, the Claire Friedlander Family Foundation has made possible the Friedlander Upstander Awards, in partnership with the Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center of Nassau County (HMTC.) The Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center of Nassau County (HMTC) annually honors middle school and high school students on Long Island who confront intolerance, prejudice, or other forms of social injustice with the Friedlander Upstander Award. Winners receive a $5,000 scholarship.
Applications are due March 27, 2023 and are open to students enrolled in a middle school or high school on Long Island. A brief nomination letter from a teacher, guidance counselor, or have another adult who is not a family member is required as well as a 500-word essay on what actions they have taken that make them upstanders. Winners will be presented at HMTC’s 13th Annual Friedlander Upstander Awards Event on Monday, May 15, 2023, at Westbury Manor, 1100 Jericho Turnpike, Westbury, NY 11590.
Foundation President Peter J. Klein said “It is in the spirit of Claire Friedlander, a Holocaust survivor who was saved by an upstander, that we support HMTC’s efforts to reward local students for doing what’s right.” Klein continues, “Students who act as upstanders and make a difference in their schools and communities are essential now more than ever due to the local and national rise of antisemitism, hate crimes, bullying and hate speech.”
HMTC defines an upstander as a person who stands up for others and does not allow bigotry, hatred, or intolerance to happen without intercession. Each year HMTC honors middle school and high school students from across Long Island who have demonstrated the actions of an upstander. The student’s action could be one of intervention or prevention, big or small.
For more information, contact Gayle Peck at gaylepeck@hmtcli.org or visit https://www.hmtcli.org/