Last month, the Department of Diaspora Affairs in the World Zionist Organization launched a worldwide photo competition asking people to send photos from their quarantine exemplifying their connection to Israel. Only photos sent from quarantine outside of Israel were accepted. The winners were announced Tuesday.
Maayan Waldman, 21, from Los Angeles won first place after scoring the highest votes both on Facebook and by all members of the judicial committee. She won a trip to Israel for a workshop with photographer and creator of Humans of Tel Aviv, Erez Kaganovitz.
Second place winner Dale Lazar from Pittsburgh won a Fujifilm Instax Mini 90 including an accessory package. Nataly Lobaton from Mexico won 3rd place and received a laser keyboard and wireless charging pad - both developed by Israeli companies.
The top 30 photos will be displayed at an exhibition at the Museum of the Jewish People in Tel Aviv.
The photos were judged by a panel that included 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.
“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 72nd Independence Day,” she added.