The Jewish Center Participates in The Daffodil Project

 

Members of The Jewish Center gathered outside the building this past Sunday for a memorial ceremony to remember the 1.5 million children who died in the Holocaust. Over 250 daffodils were planted back in October in their honor along the side of the building.

The Daffodil Project is a worldwide effort to remember the children of the Holocaust by planting 1.5 million daffodils around the world, one for each child who died, as well as to remember the children who are suffering from humanitarian crises taking place in the world today.

Daffodils were chosen because of their yellow bell that resembles the Star of David, the symbol of Judaism, as well as the yellow stars the Jewish people were required to wear during the Holocaust. Yellow is also the color of remembrance and hope.

The Jewish Center is one of over 266 locations that participated in The Daffodil Project around the globe. The project was created by Am Yisrael Chai, a nonprofit organization based in Atlanta, Georgia.

At The Jewish Center, people who came in attendance were given small daffodil cut outs on their jackets with the name of a child who died in the Holocaust written on it. The memorial started with an introduction from Pamela Zaifman, the leader of The Daffodil Project at The Jewish Center, who shared that both of her parents were Holocaust survivors.

She was then followed by 6 children, one for every million people who were killed in the Holocaust, who each read a poem from a child that was in a concentration camp or ghetto. Rabbi Elliot Schoenberg then spoke after the children before the plaque dedicated to The Daffodil Project was unveiled against the outer wall of the building.

"This experience has been very meaningful not only to the ladies who helped initiate The Daffodil Project here, but to everyone at the synagogue. The memorial felt even more symbolic with the bright flowers against the gloomy day" stated Joel Berger, Executive Director of The Jewish Center.

For more information, please contact info@thejewishcenter.com, call (609)-921-0100 or visit thejewishcenter.org.