Kids produce stamps to mark 60th independence anniversary

The winners - from Sderot, Holon and Ramat Hasharon - were announced by the Israel Postal Company's Philatelic Services on Monday.

By JUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICH
60th Anniversary 224 (photo credit: Government Press Office)
60th Anniversary 224
(photo credit: Government Press Office)
Three stamp designs by four elementary school children have been chosen among tens of thousands to create official stamps in honor of Israel's 60th anniversary of independence. The winners - from Sderot, Holon and Ramat Hasharon - were announced by the Israel Postal Company's Philatelic Services on Monday. The judges panel, which included Education Minister Yuli Tamir, chose third grader Daniel Hazan of Sderot; eight grader Itai Epstein of Holon and sixth graders Idan Vilker and Yuval Sulima from Ramat Hasharon. They will not receive financial compensation for their work, but their names, as designers, will be printed on the edge of the stamps. One depicts Israel as a home; another shows a girl on a balcony looking through a telescope at the stars forming 60; while the third uses letters, numbers and symbols used in sending an SMS message to say "I Love Israel." Tamir said the stamp competition gave pupils the opportunity to participate in the independence anniversary celebrations. Postal Company director-general Avi Hochman added that the competition aroused much enthusiasm among youngsters and that the winning designs will be put on display at May's Israeli philatelic exhibition in which stamp lovers from 60 countries will participate.