Cheryl Rattner Price, Author at The Butterfly Project

Since 1945, Jewish Family Service of San Diego has been and continues to be a vital support system for Holocaust Survivors in San Diego. After more than 4 years of careful planning, The Butterfly Project and Jewish Family Service are thrilled to reveal the Remembrance and Hope mural, an installation showing San Diego Holocaust Survivors’ stories through symbolism, artifacts, photos, butterflies, reflection space, digital components and more. This installation was created by Cheryl Rattner Price, Executive Director of The Butterfly Project, who felt deeply honored for the opportunity to represent our local Holocaust Survivors in this way. It is a chance for community members and leadership to commit more than ever to educating and empowering young people to stand up to injustice and create a more peaceful world. Thank you to JFS’s Susan Cohn, Sol Kempinski, and Michael Hopkins, an artist’s dream team who made this a priority in our community. So proud of our Jewish Family Service of San Diego for all they do. Thank you to everyone who came and wanted to come, we will make future mini tours together! Please email us if you would like a tour to see the mural. (more…)

Statement from Sonia Ancoli Israel, Past President of Congregation Beth El

Holocaust Survivors. This title, these words, heard and read over the last 70 years, is taking on new meaning today, as these heroes are dying, as their chance to tell their stories and to insure that we do remember, is getting more and more rare. Now it is up to us, Second generation, Third generation, Fourth, and now even Fifth generation. Now it is up to all of us. And so, seven years ago, when I took over as President of Beth El, I became devoted to building a Holocaust memorial on our campus – a memorial to all those who were lost. I wanted recognition of the horror of the past, combined with a promise of a decent and fair and humane future for us, always.

Sonia Ancoli Israel Past President Congregation Beth El and Holocaust Memorial Committee Leader for San Diego’s Community Shoah Memorial at JCC and now 20 years later the Memorial at CBE.

A decent and fair and humane future. Seems that future in not here yet. As it turns out, our families are still being murdered. We can’t not talk about the tragedy, the horrific act of murder against innocent people, just because they are Jewish – right in our own backyard – in our own places of worship. The shootings this past Shabbat, the attack on Chabad of Poway by a white supremacist, just reminds us that the hatred is still out there.

Our hearts and prayers go out to the families of Lori Kaye, of blessed memory, and a rufuah shlema to Rabbi Goldstein, 8-year old Noya Dahan and Almog Peretz, as well as all those who were traumatized by these events. Anti-Semitism is not going away. This white supremacist was not crazed. He was evil. He was so ignorant, mis-informed and uneducated about who we really are. ‘Never again’ takes on a new meaning. Tikun Olam takes on a new meaning – repair the world that feels like it is really broken. Repair the world by teaching love and stamping out hate. We, as Jews are strong now. We can stand up and fight. Education takes on a new meaning. Let’s fight with education.

Helen Segal in front of her poem created for the memorial. Below, Sonia Ancoli Israel shares her parents story of survival with more than 250 congregants.

Statement from Helen Segal, artist and muralist

In the words of Leonard Cohen, “There is a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in.”
When Cheryl and I began conceptualizing ideas for this project we determined we didn’t just want to create a panorama only of tragedy but to suggest that despite the horror of the Holocaust the Jewish people have survived and flourished. After much research and introspection, we decided to construct This Tree of Life. It is a recognition and condemnation of the darkness but also a prayer for rebirth and growth toward the light.
The recent attack in our midst is a strong reminder that misfortune can occur at any moment. But we refuse to allow hatred to take over in our hearts and evil to prevail.
The engineering of the memorial was a challenge, translating a small initial sketch into a 30 by 9-foot installation. I began by drawing a full scale chalk outline on my studio floor, followed by cutting manageable size templates out of board like material that provided the trees form. I’m simplifying the process here, but essentially I then individually mosaiced these templates in my studio. We then transported all 30 plus pieces to Beth El and assembled each as if they were a jigsaw onto the wall. My bruised and bleeding fingers and aching muscles were self-evidence of the pure physicality of it. With the laying of each tile, pebble, mosaic and butterfly I contemplated the enormity of the history that this piece represents.”
To read more about this Holocaust memorial and dedication ceremony, please read this article from the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Pictures from Dedication Ceremony

30 foot x 9 foot wide Holocaust Memorial created by Helen Segal. Many materials to symbolize the Holocaust and New Life. Glass, Jerusalem stone, mixed metal, stone and 661 ceramic butterflies painted by the students at congregants at CBE.

L-R Artist Helen Segal, Cheryl Rattner Price, and Sonia Ancoli Israel join together to light the 6th memorial candle on Yom Ha Shoah and during dedication of Congregation Beth El’s Holocaust Memorial

By Cheryl Rattner Price, Executive Director & Co-Founder
It cannot be stressed enough how important the lessons of the Holocaust are to the future of humanity. For the past six to seven generations, the Holocaust has been taught in classrooms around the country and across the globe to ensure that the world never forgets the atrocities that occurred. And yet, as time goes by and we become more removed from the history, the lessons from the Holocaust don’t seem to be the educational priority they once were.
The New York Times reported in April 2018 that the Holocaust is “fading from memory”. In this worrisome article, they reported upsetting data such as:

66% of Millennials can’t say what Auschwitz was
58% of Americans believe something like the Holocaust can happen again
52% believe that Hitler came to power through force
41% of Americans believe that fewer than 2 million Jewish people were killed in the Holocaust

Despite these statistics however, 93% of people surveyed said that feel that Holocaust education should be taught in schools, suggesting that the country agrees that learning these critical lessons from that dark time are of utmost importance.

Our Work is More Important Than Ever

The Butterfly Project is both honored and humbled to be a key player in Holocaust education in classrooms across the country. We are proud to report a significant increase in our classroom visits and butterfly kit programming in the 2017-2018 school year, which tells us that despite the statistics shown above, communities around the country are more committed than ever to educating their youth about the dangers of hatred and bigotry, and the power of one person to make a difference.
We have seen a significant increase in schools bringing The Butterfly Project into classrooms since 2016, with more teachers came to us in the first four months of 2018 than in the entire school year of 2017. Our Education Team visited 64 classrooms in the 2017-2018 school year, telling their families’ stories and teaching about the Power of One to more than 2,000 students. Another 21 San Diego classrooms participated in our programming on their own. Notably, some of these highly motivated teachers are not only bringing The Butterfly Project to their classrooms, but they are also creating beautiful installations from their students’ butterflies to serve as reminders to students to be Upstanders in their communities and as memorials to the 1.5 million children who were killed.
At this time, we want to highlight some of the incredible butterfly memorials that have been installed at schools in the 2017-2018 school year.

Clarkstown High School North – Rockland, NY

Two educators at Clarkstown High School North, Maggie Keuerleber and Shaina Dunn, attended a local screening of NOT The Last Butterfly and brought the idea to Art Department Chair Nancy Diamond, who then piloted The Butterfly Project with one class. They were so moved by the experience that Nancy and 7 other teachers stopped all other projects to have students exclusively focused on The Butterfly Project. In February 2018, 500+ students heard Holocaust Survivor Sonia Goldstein’s story and experience during the Holocaust. Butterflies were paired and painted with biographies of children who died during the Holocaust. In one week, 1,020 butterflies were made from clay, glazed and ready for the kiln. A site was selected on the front of the school, on the brick face, and 20 students volunteered after school, completing the installation in May 2018. Students were so moved by the lessons they learned and proud of the lasting memorial they created!

South Orangetown Middle School – Blauvelt, NY

In 2017, our film NOT The Last Butterfly was included in Rockland NY’s Jewish Film Festival and several students in leadership at South Orangetown Middle School’s attended. Next they petitioned Principal Dr. Karen Tesik to bring The Butterfly Project to their school and being a school that was already nominated as an official “School to Watch”, she approved the concept and empowered the students to lead the way. Over the course of 2017 and 2018, students painted 1,000 butterflies. In April 2018, The Butterfly Project had the privilege of being brought in to the school with our film and they unveiled these remarkable butterfly displays that include poetry along with hundreds of butterflies. We are proud to be associated with you, as you are doing an amazing job educating about the Holocaust and preventing bullying. Thank you to Micki Leader of Rockland Jewish Film Festival for your belief in our film and to Lynn and Dan Lehrfeld for all of your support.

Weber Middle School – Port Washington, NY

Jeff Moss, an English teacher, and Holly Gober, a social studies teacher, partnered together to bring The Butterfly Project to Weber Middle School in Port Washington, NY to enrich their current Holocaust curriculum. Starting with students conducting research, they worked with their students for two years to create butterflies, some from scratch, to transform the area outside their school’s auditorium into a dignified space for a unique butterfly memorial display. As you look up, the butterflies seem to be in flight and embrace freedom.

Montgomery Middle School – San Diego, CA

Dana Zuschin teaches 8th grade at Montgomery Middle School in San Diego, CA, with her teaching partner Jacob DeGering. Together they have been expanding on teaching the Holocaust in meaningful ways. Dana and Jacob formed part of our focus group for developing lessons to go with our film. For the last several years, our Education Team has been presenting their families’ stories of survival to their students. The installation shown here is a multi-year effort, and is composed of 360 butterflies.

Valley Middle School – Carlsbad, CA

Sue DeWulf, Art Teacher at Valley Middle School in Carlsbad, had a vision. She learned about The Butterfly Project, brought in Mike and Manya Wallenfels, local Holocaust Survivors to share their stories of survival. Next she challenged her talented advanced art students to create 1,000 butterflies out of clay so that the school would have a lasting memorial, paying tribute to the lessons that they learned and in remembrance of the 1.5 million children murdered in the Holocaust.

San Jose Middle School – Novato, CA

Educator Deborah Baraban of San Jose Middle School in Novato, CA heard about The Butterfly Project through Facing History and Ourselves and that set everything in motion. She and her colleagues, who were all 8th grade teachers, were teaching a unit about the Holocaust that included history and Eli Wiesel’s book Night. They utilized The Butterfly Project as a culminating activity and put together plans for a permanent installation at the school that will be added to over the years. Read more about their experience on their blog post.

Our Work Is Not Done

The fact that more teachers than ever are using The Butterfly Project to help them effectively teach the important lessons of the Holocaust is a good sign, but it does not mean our work is done. Not even close…
The Butterfly Project recognizes that we need to develop and grow our programming to expand our impact, and we have a 3-part plan that we created to ensure we can reach far more students next year.

Expand Our Education Team: We are working hard this summer to expand our approach to classroom visits. This includes revising and refreshing the curriculum that our team brings into the classrooms, and adding Educators and Second Generation dyads to our current Education Team. By increasing the number of people on our Education Team, we can increase the number of local schools we can visit in coming years. We are also developing a satellite Education Team in the Los Angeles area that will be modeled on our pilot in San Diego and made up of Educators and Second Generation members from that community. This will allow us to expand our in-classroom programming outside of San Diego County.
Launch Our Interactive Educational Traveling Exhibit: We are also developing an interactive exhibit that will help us to reach more underserved schools. Programming will allow students to engage with oral history, interactive lessons, literature, historical documents, archival photographs, rare artifacts and attend film screenings. All participants will paint a butterfly in honor of one of the 1.5 million children who were killed in the Holocaust, which will then be included in a community memorial installation. Programming will also include events for the general public. We will be partnering with local school districts to develop programming for schools to visit our Exhibit, which is expected to be completed in late 2018/early 2019. To learn more about this exhibit, please read this blog post about its launch.
Continue Our Teacher Training: We are gearing up to provide local school districts with ½ day teacher training for their schools, an effort with a long term view to ensure that educators are well-equipped to teach these meaningful lessons to students for years to come.

As you can see, The Butterfly Project is more committed than ever to ensure that students across the country are able to participate in these meaningful lessons to learn how to remember the past, act responsibly in the present, and create a more peaceful future. In the 2018-2019 school year, we want to focus our efforts on Title 1 schools and underserved communities. If you are interested in supporting our work and ensuring that we are able to reach schools who may not have the resources to bring us in, please consider sponsoring a classroom. Your support will directly impact the lives of 36 students, who will carry these lessons forward into their families and communities, creating an immeasurable impact in the world.

By Cheryl Rattner Price, Executive Director & Co-Founder
The last few months have manifested an epic level of productivity for The Butterfly Project. Holocaust Remembrance Day (Yom Ha Shoah in Hebrew), which occured this year in April, has been a driving force in the activities over the past few months, and The Butterfly Project was involved in commemoration ceremonies all across the country. Our film NOT The Last Butterfly was often included in the events to raise awareness of the dangers of hatred and bigotry in the world.

As this article in the New York Times shows, there is a concerning lack of knowledge and awareness about the Holocaust in today’s youth. The timing of these commemorations is critical, as we take note of the painful and troubling increase in racism and bigotry that is plaguing our nation. We are so proud of our expanding community of teachers, volunteers and champions of The Butterfly project, many of whom are 2nd and 3rd Generations of Holocaust Survivors, who are working tirelessly to make sure that the world never forgets.
The timing of these commemorations is also critical, as several members of our beloved Holocaust Survivor community have died.
In just the last few months we lost Agathe Ehrenfried z”l (mother of Judi Gottschalk) and Gussie Zaks z”l (mother of Jack Morgenstern and Marcia Rosenberg). In addition, I shared this on our Facebook Page about Ela Weissberger z”l:

My heart aches. It is with deep sorrow that I share the news that Ela Weissberger z”l passed away on the first night of Passover, Friday March 30th. She was surrounded by her beloved family.

Anyone who was lucky enough to be swept into in the magnetic and loving pull of the one and only Ela was forever changed for the better. Not a cliché… Ela spent her lifetime sharing her story of survival and giving love and encouragement to others especially in order to further Holocaust education, art, music and of course, children. She adored the young ones she met and was thrilled that the love was mutual. Ela was a living legend for countless thousands of children in her decades of speaking to schools and community events about being a child prisoner of Terezin Concentration Camp. Ela was proud that as a child in Terezin she was casted as the cat in the children’s opera Brundibar and throughout her life she traveled the globe to join the children’s cast on stage to sing the final victory song. In the last 2 years, Ela even journeyed to Uruguay and Russia!

We are so blessed that Ela loved The Butterfly Project so much that we were able to bring her to San Diego and journey with her and her loving daughter Tammy back to Terezin in 2015 highlighting her in our film NOT The Last Butterfly.

It was here and in Prague that we witnessed her pay tribute to her beloved teacher Friedl Dicker Brandeis, and met some of her dearest friends. Laughing and feeling loved was easy when you were around someone as playful as Ela. She had a heart of gold but was no pushover! It has been an epic journey and I feel so personally privileged to have spent such quality time dreaming big dreams together about art and butterflies. Ela will live forever in every butterfly painted and in the hearts of all she met. My heart is heavy. We need to carry on her message of hope. May her memory be a blessing. Deepest condolences to her daughter Tamar Grinshpon and family.

Passing the Torch

We are in the process of creating educational chapters to accompany our film, one of which is appropriately entitled “Passing the Torch” We interviewed our amazing Education Team (Jan Landau, Arlene Keeyes, Sonia Fox-Ohlbaum, and Judi Gottschalk), and Tamar (Ela’s daughter). Our objective is to assist educators and 2nd/3rd Generations to keep sharing the stories of their beloved family members to students, be a resource to help make the Holocaust more understood through these personal stories of survival, and to keep these stories alive in history.

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Below are some of the wonderful communities that included The Butterfly Project in their Yom HaShoah commemoration events.

Ronald Reagan Presidential Library (Simi Valley, CA)

In January, The Butterfly Project partnered with Facing History and Ourselves to present a training at Reagan Library for 33 local educators. In April, 600+ students from those 33 teachers came together to paint butterflies after hearing Holocaust Survivor James Bachner’s story. The butterflies currently have a temporary home in this beautiful installation at the Simi Valley Cultural Arts Center, designed by the Youth Council of Simi Valley. And next, there will be butterfly installation memorials in LA and Simi Valley from the painted butterflies! Thank you to Rebekah Harding, Jeff Lockwood and Whitney Pagan of the Reagan Library, and Kristin Tignac of the Simi Valley Cultural Arts Center and the Youth Council of Simi Valley.
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Valley Outreach Synagogue (Calabasas, CA)

Julie Goren has been a dedicated partner to The Butterfly Project for quite some time, bringing our film and programming to Valley Outreach Synagogue and creating this beautiful mural. She also has volunteers come to her home monthly to help The Butterfly Project assemble kits to go into classrooms across the country. Julie has dedicated countless hours and created a strong band of volunteers. Thank you to Carla Adivi, Education Director and Rabbi Ron Li-Paz for their support of this initiative.

Shames JCC on the Hudson (Tarrytown, NY) & JCC of Mid-Westchester (Scarsdale, NY)

We would like to extend a special thanks to Maida Silver, Westchester Director
UJA-Federation’s Engage Jewish Service Corps, whose hard work, dedication, and vision helped make this event an engaging and powerful experience for the Shamess JCC and JCC of Mid-Westchester communities. We would also like to thank the following people for all of their help and support: Karen Kolodny, Executive Director, JCC of Mid-Westchester; Susan Groner, Assistant to Executive Director and Director Program Operations, JCC of Mid-Westchester; Jill Gold. Engage Site Coordinator, JCC of Mid-Westchester; Millie Jasper, Executive Director, Holocaust and Human Rights Education Center; Andrew Ergas, Executive Director, Shames JCC on the Hudson; Jen Labovitz, Director of Marketing & Communications, Shames JCC on the Hudson, Melissa Baer, Engage Site Coordinator, Shames JCC on the Hudson.

Tifereth Israel Synagogue (San Diego, CA)

Tifereth Israel hosted a film screening and butterfly painting event for Yom Hashoah. There was incredible sisterhood at Tifereth Israel, and so many others raising the bar on meaningful events with The Butterfly Project. A special thank you to: Jan Landau, Arlene Cymberg Keeyes, Judy Stern, Michelle Barbour, Beth Klareich, Pam Stern, Olga Worm, Roxanne Schindler Katz, Marlene Sasson Recht, Jack Morgenstern, and so many others who worked tirelessly to make this day a success! Thank you go Judi Ehrenfried Gottschalk for her generous underwriting of the film screening.
After this morning we had our San Diego Yom Ha Shoah commemoration and had a chance to honor and get a group photo of our beloved Survivors.

Temple Solel (Cardiff-by-the-Sea, CA)

A meaningful event at Temple Solel, with two film screenings and butterfly painting after the students had their lessons. Fantastic and insightful questions from students and adults during the Q & A. They are adding these butterflies to their current installation! Thank you to Ellen Fox and Debby Cooperman Stone for all of your hard work and dedication.

Touro College (Brooklyn, NY)

Dr. Shoshanah Findling brought The Butterfly Project and NOT The Last Butterfly to Touro College Graduate School of Education. Over 140 educators and educators-in-training were in attendance.

March of the Living (Poland)

Thank you to Marcia Tatz Wolner for involving The Butterfly Project with this year’s March of the Living. Students from San Diego and the Western US Region, along with students from South Africa, painted butterflies in Krakow and Warsaw. Butterflies were given to JCC Krakow and POLIN Museum of the History of the Polish Jews in Warsaw. More than 14,000 people attended the March of the Living this year.

Israeli Scouts (Tzofim) (Sunnyvale, CA, San Diego, CA, Las Vegas, NV, Phoenix, AZ)

So proud of May Dror, Shaliach of Shevet Pisga in Las Vegas and everyone who helped the Israeli Scouts! Look at these focused and dedicated young people, learning and creating such beauty to memorialize the 1.5 million children killed in the Holocaust! Kol Ha Kavod! We are also honored that other Israeli Scouts Groups participated this year, including Shevet Hamifratz (led by Noy Finanser) in Sunnyvale, CA, who did lessons and butterfly painting with 5th grade as part of Good Deeds Day; Shevet Shemesh (led by Hadar Hamu) in Phoenix, AZ, who hosted a butterfly painting event for 3rd-12 grades; and Shevet Galim (led by Danni Berenholtz) in San Diego, CA.

By Cheryl Rattner Price, Executive Director & Co-Founder

In 2006, Jan Landau and I started Zikaron V’Tikvah (Hebrew for Remembrance & Hope), which is now called The Butterfly Project. It began with the idea to take Holocaust education out of the history books and provide a way for students to process these difficult stories through the use of expressive arts.
Almost 12 years later, our educational and arts programming has reached approximately 188,000 participants in over 180 schools and universities, 75 Jewish organizations (including synagogues and JCCs), 4 U.S.-based Holocaust Museums, and 2 Presidential Libraries, and has engaged schools and communities in over 20 states and 11 countries (including Poland, Latvia, Canada, Australia, Czech Republic, Uruguay, and Mexico). Our marvelous Education Team reached over 2,000 local students in 2017 alone!
And now, we have decided it is time to grow our efforts and deepen our reach to touch thousands more participants each year. We are proud to officially announce the launch of our newest program!

TBP’s Multi-Media Traveling Exhibit

We are currently developing a multi-media traveling exhibit that will create a unique educational and art memorial-making experience to students and community members across the country. The exhibit will include Holocaust artifacts, our own educational films with oral histories, essays, art and poetry from children at Terezin Concentration Camp, which inspired the launch of The Butterfly Project. The exhibit will be designed to engage both Jewish and non-Jewish families, students, educators and the public, and will be displayed in Jewish Day schools, public and private schools, universities, community organizations, synagogues, libraries, and museums.
Like our other school-based programming, this traveling exhibit will provide a gentle approach to learn about this painful topic and process difficult emotions like hopelessness, anger, and feeling disempowered. Each butterfly will be connected to a child who perished, creating a more personal connection and greater empathy, encouraging participants to speak out against injustice today. It will promote much-needed dialogue in communities near and far about our collective responsibility to remember the past, act responsibly in the present and take part in Tikkun Olam, courageous actions healing the world’s injustices.

Funding This Program

We are actively seeking funding to help with the research and development of this new program, and have recently submitted two grant proposals for significant support. We welcome your input and support if you know of any grants or sponsorship opportunities that we can apply for, as well as your direct support to help move us closer to the completion of this project. If you would like to make a donation toward this effort, please click here or contact Cheryl Rattner Price directly.
We are honored to have your support year after year. The Butterfly Project has touched hundreds of thousands of lives so far, yet there is so much more work to be done.

A Special Thank You to Our Education Team

By Cheryl Rattner Price, Executive Director & Co-Founder

The Butterfly Project has many champions without whom this work would not be possible. But amongst all of our supporters, we want to take time this month to recognize a special group of women who stand out for all of their hard work, dedication, and tireless commitment to sharing The Butterfly Project’s message with students across the country.

Sonia Fox-Ohlbaum shows her father’s uniform from a concentration camp.

The Education Team

The Butterfly Project’s Education Team, made up of Co-Founder Jan Landau, Sonia Fox-Ohlbaum, Judi Gottschalk, and Arlene Keeyes, is a passionate group of retired educators who meet weekly to discuss, write and plan lessons and curriculum that enhance the The Butterfly Project classroom experience. Several team members are children of Holocaust Survivors and bring their parents’ personal stories and artifacts such as family photographs, a yellow star, and an even concentration camp uniform, into the classroom while presenting lessons.

The Education Team’s goal this year was to teach in as many San Diego based schools as possible. Due to an upswing in bullying and anti-Semitic incidents on school campuses, there was been an increased demand for The Butterfly Project’s experiential lessons this school year. The Education Team responded to these demands in a powerful way, designing appropriate lessons geared to each grade level and using each of their unique voices and experiences to take on certain segments of the lesson plan.

Co-Founder Jan Landau teaching students lessons from the Holocaust.

Inside the Classroom

The Education Team presented in 45 classrooms in San Diego-based schools in the 2016-2017 school year. School districts that participated in The Butterfly Project in 2016-2017 include: Lakeside Union School District; Santee School District; San Diego Unified School District; Cajon Valley Union School District; Hebrew Academy, Huntington Beach; Beth El; San Diego Jewish Academy.

Gompers Preparatory Academy, a Charter School in San Diego Unified that has partnered with UCSD, was a unique experience for the team. In Sonia’s words…

“Arlene and I had the incredible pleasure of teaching 5 classes about the Holocaust to Gompers Preparatory Academy. Never in all of our years of presenting did we have such a welcome. The hallways had hanging butterfly mobiles, doors had welcome signs and walls were covered in posters students had created for their Holocaust Projects. At the invitation of Mary Davis, all 8th graders had the opportunity to meet with us so we could share our primary source materials and our lessons.

As each student painted a butterfly, they went around the room and stood with pride, as they became the voice of a child that perished in the Holocaust. On their table was a centerpiece that a group of students had created. One was a gas chamber, another a concentration camp, an old fashioned camera, and a replica of a sculpture called the Shoes on the Danube River.

We have already agreed to return next year and will continue to make this an annual event.”

Arlene Keeyes teaches students the difference between being an upstander and being a bystander.

The Education Team also visited students at DePortola Middle School in San Diego. Parent Sandra Bever wrote an article for the Tierra Times about the profound impact our Education Team made on students at the school (click on images to read article).

Read it here

Outside the Classroom

The Education Team has been busy outside of the classroom, as well. In addition to school visits, the Education team has focused on writing K-5 curriculum that is aligned with the Common Core Standards and grade specific. This curriculum articulates and spirals upwards and builds on various themes. These themes include:

The Education Team also had an exhibit booth at the California Social Studies Conference in Sacramento in May, which led to an invitation to present at the National Social Studies Conference in November. So much excitement and involvement in the project was generated after the California conference, and we expect that level of enthusiasm to only grow after the national conference. The Education Team also made presentations to adult groups this year, including San Diego’s Jewish Family Service and various synagogue groups in San Diego.

Praise for the Education Team

One indisputable fact evidencing their amazing work is the feedback we receive. Here are just a few quotes we’ve received from both teachers and students after the Education Team has visited a classroom:

“I believe it was the pictures and stories of the children that make it all ”real” to my students. Saying their names and reading their stories brought a depth of connection and that would not have occurred other wise.” – Carrie Butler, 3rd grade public school teacher

“Mrs. Keeyes and Mrs. Landau brought a very painful and horrific era in history to the forefront in a way that was powerful to the students. Seeing the clothing worn in the concentration camps, seeing the 6 pointed ‘Jude’ in person had powerful visual impact. Hearing Arlene Keeyes sweet voice read Eve Bunting’s book about the Holocaust helped the students empathize with the Jewish children. However, I believe it was the pictures and stories of the children (on the bio / picture cards) that made it all ‘real’ to my students. Saying their names, reading their stories brought a depth of connection that would not have occurred otherwise. Painting the butterflies was beautiful and cathartic for my students. Having a beautiful way to demonstrate respect for these precious lives empowered them to remember the delicate lives that were lost.” – Anonymous*

“I pledge to be an upstander by defending what is right and speaking up for people who can’t. I will not stand by and watch. Like Theodore Roosevelt said, “ Knowing what is right doesn’t mean much unless you do what is right.” – Student at DePortolo Elementary School

“The generosity of the presenters who shared their personal artifacts touched us all. They will make us never forget.” – Anonymous*

“Arlene Keeyes, Sonia Fox-Ohlbaum, and Jan Landau changed my life. Three retired teachers taught me to be a better person (a better Jew) and gave me an understanding of the Holocaust I never imagined. I am 63 years young. Thank you for reaching out to me. I appreciate what your organization does and one day somewhere I will see one of the ceramic butterflies and know what they mean. For that my heartfelt gratitude.” – Don Y., Laguna Niguel, CA

“When I had my students write year end reflections many listed the butterfly project as their favorite activity all year in art class. The presentation was VERY well done because the way the subject matter was handled was really age appropriate.” – Anonymous*

A Heartfelt Thank You

While it goes without saying that The Butterfly Project is incredibly appreciative of the dedication and commitment that the Education Team continues to display, it is important that we take a moment to shine the spotlight on these incredible women. It is important that we not just honor them for their hard work, but acknowledge the unique talents each one brings to her work with The Butterfly Project. To the women of the Education Team, I want to say thank you… you have made The Butterfly Project an unparalleled classroom experience and for that we are forever grateful.

*The Butterfly Project collects feedback through an anonymous survey after each classroom visit. These testimonials were taken from that survey.

Survivor Mural at Jewish Family Service of San Diego