72nd Independence Day celebrated with global quarantine photo competition

The first prize for winning the contest will be a roundtrip flight to Israel and a day course with the photographer Erez Kaganovitz.

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Flyover on Israel's Independence Day on May 9th, 2019 (photo credit: AVSHALOM SASSONI/ MAARIV)
Flyover on Israel's Independence Day on May 9th, 2019
(photo credit: AVSHALOM SASSONI/ MAARIV)
Generally during this time period of memorial days and Israel’s Independence Day, thousands of Jews from the Diaspora would be visiting Israel. This year, however, this is not the case, as the coronavirus keeps everyone home.
In order to try and create some semblance of festivities, the Department of Diaspora Affairs in the World Zionist Organization has launched a photo competition worldwide.
This competition, dubbed #FALAFILM, is open to all, be they Jewish or gentile, as long as they take interest in sending a photo from their quarantine exemplifying their connection to Israel. The competition has been launched in order to celebrate the 72nd anniversary of the State of Israel.
This international photo competition will only include photos sent from quarantine outside of Israel. The last day for submission of photos is April 30, 2020.
The goal of the contest is to help in strengthening the connection between the diaspora and the State of Israel through these times. This is done as a part of a larger set of programs to connect Jewish communities from around the world.
“Even before social distancing became the reality in the world we live, we moved our activities to an online platform,” explained the head of the Department of Diaspora Affairs and initiator of the competition, Ms. Gusti Yehoshua Braverman.
“We organized that anybody who wanted to participate in Remembrance Day or Independence Day would be able to do so and mark Israel’s 72 Independence Day,” she added.
These photos will be judged by a panel that includes the chairman of the Jewish Agency for Israel, Isaac Herzog, the chairman of Keren Hayesod, Sam Grundwerg, Israeli ambassador to the UK, Mark Regev, world renowned photographer Ziv Koren, former cabinet minister Tzipi Livni and the photographer and creator of the website Humans of Tel Aviv, Erez Kaganovitz.
The photos will be rated in two ways: the first will be by the aforementioned panel of judges, which will constitute 50% of the score of each picture. The other 50% will be determined by the public who will vote through the department’s Facebook page.
The first prize for winning the contest will be a roundtrip flight to Israel and a day course with the photographer Erez Kaganovitz. The second prize is a polaroid camera that develops photos on the spot. The third prize will be a laser printer with accessories.
The three winning photos will be displayed at an exhibition at the Museum of the Jewish People in Tel Aviv, Beit Hatfutsot.
“Especially during this complicated time, I am proud to take part in this project between the Jews of the Diaspora and Israel, and I look forward to seeing the photos that will arrive from throughout the world, visually explaining the strong connection between the diaspora and Israel,” said Ziv Koren.
“The goal of this competition is to give a feeling of togetherness, so that even if we are far away and alone and the participants are unable, however, to visit Israel as they would like, but they are able to send a photo and participate in a memory,” said Yehoshua Braverman.
“The first prize and the anticipated exhibition are both geared to the day after the coronavirus pandemic in order to give hope,” she concluded.


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