Congratulations to MVS junior Sophia Drugov ’25, whose artwork was recognized in the annual Max & Lydia May Holocaust Art & Writing Contest! Sophia earned an Honorable Mention award in the high school division for her drawing "Edith Piaf’s Moral Obligation."

 

The theme of this year’s Max & Lydia May contest was “One Person Can Make a Difference: Righteous Among the Nations,” about non-Jewish people who took risks to save Jewish people from the Holocaust. Sophia focused on French singer Edith Piaf, who leveraged her celebrity to save numerous French Jewish musicians and composers during the Nazi occupation. While Piaf’s popularity among the Germans was controversial and invited criticism after the war, Piaf’s concerts served as cover for secret operations of the French Resistance, allowing resistance members to distribute false passports and documentation for those seeking to flee the country. Sophia’s drawing depicts Piaf mid-performance, with the lyrics to “La vie en rose,” one of her signature songs, serving as the backdrop.

 

The Max & Lydia May Holocaust Art & Writing Contest is held annually by the Dayton Holocaust Resource Center (DHRC) and sponsored by the Holocaust Education Committee of the Jewish Federation of Greater Dayton.