If your kids need a creative and meaningful project this July, the Jewish Kids Film Festival might just be your summer lifesaver. Jewish children ages 5–10 and their families are invited to participate in this new online initiative to make and submit short videos celebrating what it means to be a mensch—and there’s still time to enter before the July 31 deadline.
Make it local, make it joyful
While the festival is a national project from Mitzvah Power Academy— a multimedia Jewish educational initiative for kids and families—it’s fully virtual and open to everyone. That means St. Louis families can easily join in.
And here’s the exciting local twist: If your child submits a video, the Jewish Light may feature their film on our digital platforms—including our website, YouTube, and social media. Rabbi Cantor Dr. Linda Bernstein, the festival’s creator, fully supports this local spotlight effort. “We only collect first names and cities to keep things safe, but in addition to posting entries in the Jewish Kids Film Festival Theater on mitzvahpower.com and our Instagram and Facebook channels, we’d absolutely support your showcasing local entries afterward if parents are on board,” she said.
How to participate
The rules are refreshingly simple. Kids, with help from grownups if needed, can create a video of 3 minutes or less that highlights an act of menschiness—a mitzvah, a moral moment, or even a tribute to a mensch from the Bible or history. Accepted formats include .mp4 or .mov and yes, shooting on a smartphone is perfectly fine.
Videos can be solo projects or team efforts: siblings, friends, classmates, synagogue groups, or Jewish Community Center buddies are welcome collaborators. Once complete, families upload their video through the entry form at mitzvahpower.com, which also functions as the required parental permission form.
Menschy Awards and more
Every participant in the festival gets a “Menschy Award” certificate, a prize and their film featured in the Jewish Kids Film Festival Theater on mitzvahpower.com. Fifteen grand prize winners will be selected across categories like Best Film, Best Director and Best Actor—and their videos will be showcased in a special podcast airing Aug. 15.
Award categories also include Best Group Performance, Best Menschy Message, Most Musical, Most Creative and Funniest. Themes range from eco-mensch and tzedakah to kindness, caring and family teamwork.
Don’t know where to start?
Rabbi Linda suggests beginning with something your child has already done. “Start with a menschy deed their child has done—or someone they know has done, or it’s OK to feature a menschy biblical or historical character,” she said.
Then decide how to tell that story. Suggested styles include puppet shows, cooking demos, stories, dances, poems, songs, LEGO skits, podcasts, or even jokes and riddles. Fancy scripts and editing are not required—just heart and creativity.
“If the child isn’t reading yet, they can just express their mitzvah in their own words,” she added.
Want to be featured locally?
If your St. Louis family submits a video, we want to hear from you. Send us a quick note at [email protected] and we’ll follow up about featuring your entry locally after the festival concludes.
For full guidelines, entry form and inspiration videos, visit mitzvahpower.com and click the Jewish Kids Film Festival banner. For questions, contact Rabbi Linda Bernstein at [email protected].
