Everything’s coming up daffodils at The Mabel!
The Smith Campus Ministries Center is proud to be a host site for The Daffodil Project, a living memorial honoring the 1.5 million children who died in the Holocaust by planting 1.5 million daffodil bulbs worldwide.
In preparation for planting, UNCG Grounds helped construct a beautiful stone enclosure for a raised bed. In November, UNCG Hillel welcomed students, staff, and friends to plant 500 of the bulbs in our own backyard.
A plaque beside the daffodils tells the story: “Resilient, bright and filled with hope, these daffodils, which return with a burst of color each spring, are part of the worldwide Living Holocaust Memorial that aspires to plant 1.5 million daffodils in memory of the 1.5 million children who perished in the Holocaust and for children who suffer in humanitarian crises around the world today.”
Vicki Cathcart, UNCG Hillel Advisor and Assistant Director for NC Hillel Link, says taking care of others (gemillut hasadim) and repairing the world (tikkun olam) are core Jewish values. “Now more than ever, we need to remember the past so we can protect the lives of others. I am so proud to work with students, partner organizations, and colleagues who stand against hate. When the daffodils bloom every year, the UNCG campus community will gather to honor their memories and learn about the Holocaust. UNCG Hillel hopes that you will consider signing the UNCG Spartans Against Antisemitism Pledge.”
Why daffodils? Am Yisrael Chai, the nonprofit Holocaust Education and Genocide Awareness Organization that initiated the project, explains: “The shape and color of the daffodils represent the yellow stars that Jews were forced to wear during the Holocaust. Yellow is the color of remembrance. Daffodils represent our poignant hope for the future.”
So far, 758,000 daffodils have been planted in 372 memorial gardens.
UNCG Hillel expressed appreciation to those who helped make the project a success: the UNCG iBelong grant, UNCG Facilities Operations, Hillel International, North Carolina Hillel, UNCG Office of Intercultural Engagement, Repair the World, and the Smith Campus Ministries Center.
Please feel free to stop by and visit the living memorial while the daffodils are in bloom! To learn more about the project, go to www.daffodilproject.net.
