WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Palm Beach County Rabbi, Erica Rosenkranz says thousands of butterflies are making their way to our area.
“Everybody when they see a butterfly outside, a live butterfly, it feels good,” says Rosenkranz.
Don Estridge High Tech Middle School student, David Zapata is one of more than 2,000 students in the Palm Beach County School District learning the deeper meaning behind the butterflies.
“I know the butterflies were supposed to represent what happened during the holocaust and the bad events,” says Zapata.
It’s part of an wider effort called the Butterfly Project, aimed at bringing awareness to the 1.5 million children who died in the Holocaust.
Sixth grader Arabella Bumb says, “they were just like any other kid and something happened so horribly to them.”
Each butterfly is painted by volunteers of all ages. They come with a unique card detailing the life of one child killed in the Holocaust.
Children like Sura Andrezejko killed in Auschwitz gas chambers with her family when she was 15.
Zapata says the experience, “was intense I would say, but it needed you to learn that history shouldn’t repeat itself in that way.”
Rabbi Rosenkranz says even though the Morse Life Butterfly Project is open to anyone in the community, there’s something special about seeing young people involved.
”We have to remind ourselves that there’s hope for the future and there’s hope that if we continue to teach these lessons to our children that hate won’t continue,” says Rosenkranz.
They are lessons that these kids are already taking to heart.
“I was feeling inspired. I was feeling inspired because I felt like I could help change the world and make sure history doesn’t repeat itself in the future,” says 7th grader Juan Ramirez.
When complete, the painted butterflies will become a permanent installment at Morse Life serving as a symbol of resilience and much more.
Bumb says, “It makes me feel hopeful we can prevent it in the future for ever happening again.”
1.5 million butterflies are creating a wave of remembrance and hope.
If you’re interested in contributing to the local project you can contact rabbierica@morselife.org
On Thursday April 8 at 1pm The Palm Beach County School District will be hosting a Holocaust Day of Remembrance live commemoration ceremony.