Daffodils Recall Children Lost in the Holocaust
SPECIAL FOR THE AJT //
A new children’s memorial garden, filled with 600 daffodils to honor the memory of the 1.5 million children murdered in the Holocaust, is being planned for Blue Ridge, Ga. and will be dedicated during a ceremony in early November.
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The garden is part of a project, Am Yisrael Chai!, a non-profit Holocaust and Awareness Organization, aimed at planting 1.5 million daffodils to recall the children lost in the Holocaust.
So far, over 25,000 bulbs have been planted in the U.S. and Canada, including recent plantings at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens, Kennesaw State University and The William Breman Jewish Heritage Musuem.
In Blue Ridge, a cross-section of community leaders and residents will take part in the upcoming planting, including David Ralston, speaker of the Georgia House of Representatives; Donna Whitener, the mayor of Blue Ridge and representatives of the city council.
The ceremony and planting, set for Nov. 10 at 3 p.m., will feature comments from Jaap Groen, a Holocaust survivor originally from Holland; the Fannin County High School Chorus; and the support of many others – including clergy and representatives from several churches – who have been instrumental in planning the event.
In addition to daffodils, the memorial garden will also include a granite stone, laser etched with a brief description of the garden and bonded to a larger irregular stone; and a 3 to 4-foot original metal sculpture with daffodil blooms by local sculptress Marsha Murphy.
Am Yisrael Chai!, the sponsoring organization, chose daffodils for its project because the flower’s shape and color is a poignant reminder of the yellow stars worn by Jews during the Holocaust.
Organization representatives point out the flowers are resilient and return with a burst of color each spring, a fitting plant to also honor the thousands of Jews and others who survived the Holocaust and went on to build new and successful lives.
The 411
For additional information about the upcoming event in Blue Ridge or more details about Am Yisrael Chai!, contact Michael Weinroth at mikeweinroth@aol.com or at (404) 375-1188.
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