AWARDS: FIVE SCHOLARSHIPS IN THE AMOUNTS OF: $1,000, $600, $400 and $250 (2X) ELIGIBILITY: Applicants must be 14-19 years of age. Applicants must be members of a Conservative congregation. The scholarship will apply to any Conservative Movement sponsored Israel program (including Israel programs taking place from June 1, 2014 and on). THEME OF THIS YEAR’S ESSAY COMPETITION: “WOMEN IN ZIONISM: PAST AND PRESENT” This year’s contest celebrates the upcoming 30th anniversary of the ordination of women as Conservative Rabbis. ESSAY FORMAT: Choose one of the questions below, making sure you answer all parts of the question: 1) Jewish women have been involved in Zionism, and later the State of Israel, from its early years both in Eretz Yisrael and in the Diaspora. Choose two women actively involved in Zionism or the Zionist movement: one from the pre-State years or the first three decades of the State of Israel (1935-1978, either from Eretz Yisrael or the Diaspora) and one involved today (2004-2014, again from either location). a. Give a short history of your chosen figures, explaining why you chose those two women. b. Compare and contrast the challenges faced by both women in their advancement towards leadership in the Zionist Movement and/or Israeli politics; what pathways were open to them, their experiences and successes. 2) Women in Israel have been guaranteed equality since the dawn of the State. The Israeli Declaration of Independence states, “The State of Israel… will ensure complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion, race or sex.” Even so, as in North America, the path for women has not always been easy. a. Compare and contrast the opportunities for women’s advancement in Israel versus the Diaspora in North America. b. Choose 2 women from the same general time period, one from Israel and one from the Diaspora who