Jewish Student Union Remembers Holocaust with Daffodil Project

College of Charleston students have collaborated with campus organizations, Charleston synagogues, local survivors and area teachers in order to spread Holocaust awareness, beautify the broader community and inspire the next generation to learn from the lessons of the Holocaust through the Daffodil Project.

On Sunday, Nov. 17, 2019, at 2 p.m. the community is invited to join College of Charleston students to plant daffodil bulbs as a living memorial for the 1.5 million children who perished in the Holocaust. Daffodils represent the yellow stars that Jews were forced to wear during the Holocaust, and symbolize both remembrance and resilience. The Holocaust was the catastrophic murder of 11 million human beings, including 6 million Jews, between 1938 and 1945 throughout Nazi Germany, German-occupied territories and territories held by allies of Nazi Germany.

A ceremony held at Brith Sholom Beth Israel Synagogue at 182 Rutledge Avenue will precede the planting of daffodil bulbs at the same location. Scheduled speakers include descendants of Holocaust survivors as well as student representatives and Assistant Professor of Jewish Studies David Slucki.

The Daffodil Project, a worldwide initiative empowering Holocaust education created by the Atlanta-based non-profit Am Yisrael Chai, aspires to build a Living Holocaust Memorial by planting 1.5 million daffodils around the world to remember the children who perished at the hands of the Nazis.

This year, the College of Charleston Jewish Student Union/Hillel’s Holocaust Education, Awareness and Remembrance (HEAR) group will focus on the theme of “More Than Just a Number” to shed light on how those experiences have impacted survivors and their descendants.

The efforts of this project are being supported by the Yaschik/Arnold Jewish Studies Program, Jewish Student Union/Hillel, Student Government Association, BSBI Synagogue, and the Charleston Jewish Federation’s REMEMBER Program for Holocaust Education and Genocide Awareness.