Press Release Butterfly Project Documentary Begins

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Media Contacts:
Joshua NunnDirector of Marketing, San Diego Jewish Academy Phone: (619) 302-4694
Email: jnunn@sdja.comTo participate contact: Cheryl Rattner Price cherylprice@mac.com 619-708-6883
Principal Photography For The Butterfly Project Documentary To Begin On March 21 and 22 At San Diego Jewish Academy In Carmel Valley
San Diego Jewish Academy’s Butterfly Project (Zikaron V’Tikvah) was started to memorialize the 1.5 million children killed in the Holocaust through the creation of ceramic butterflies that honor their memory. The program has been expanding rapidly, particularly in the last 18 months, to include more locations and increasingly bolder and larger memorials. These occurrences are moving the project in the direction of becoming a world-wide memorial movement.
A documentary film is being made about this grassroots initiative based in San Diego that has reached over 200 cities worldwide. Filming will commence on March 21 and 22 at SDJA’s upper school, where the school’s seniors will present their insights and emotions about being Jewish in a dialogue with local San Diego Holocaust survivors. Next month, the students will visit Poland as part of their senior seminar course and will bring the butterflies that they painted with the survivors to a Jewish school in Poland.
“We recently learned about the existence of a Jewish day school in Warsaw. We immediately knew that our students needed to make a connection there and in several other places. They will leave their mark in Poland by installing their own butterflies in a place where vibrant Jewish life was all but erased,” said Cheryl Rattner Price, founder of the Butterfly Project.
Holocaust survivors are aging rapidly, but many bravely remain involved in Holocaust education as their lives become more challenging. Many of the survivors are from Poland and this small group of committed SDJA students is absorbing all that they can from the survivors prior to their trip. The resulting footage will elevate awareness about the project and get more cities to participate.
DETAILS:
March 21 and 22, 10:00 am - 5:00 pm San Diego Jewish Academy
11860 Carmel Creek Rd
San Diego, CA 92130
To attend this event, please contact Joshua Nunn at (619) 302-4694 as gate access is required to enter SDJA.
ABOUT SDJA: San Diego Jewish Academy offers infants to high school seniors a unique environment that challenges students to achieve their full academic potential and become individuals of strong character, while inspiring them to make Judaism a vital and relevant aspect of their lives.
For more information about San Diego Jewish Academy, visit www.sdja.com For more information about the Butterfly Project (Zikaron V’Tikvah),
http://www.sdja.com/jewish_life_butterfly.php. ###

file://localhost/Users/cherylrprice/Desktop/zikaron_vtikva_flyer_2012_cheryl_learning.pdf

Working with Anti Defamation League ADL

Our project has been enormously uplifted by our partnering with ADL Anti Defamation League. We helped create 2 educator conferences in San Diego entitled The Practice of Never Again. In 2010, 75 public school middle and high school educators heard keynote speaker Stephen Smith, MBE, PhD, D Law current Executive Director of USC Shoah Foundation.

Dr. Smith is shown in center of photo wearing tie with our very own Holocaust Survivors from San Diego New Life Club . This year's conference grew in size and had 100 educators, with 25 returning advanced track participants. This year the keynote address was delivered by Rachel Korazim Ph.D., the former Academic Director, Distance Learning Programs, Jewish Agency for Israel. All of the educators received a Butterfly Classroom kit generously donated through Leichtag Family Foundation. We worked like crazy to assemble 100 kits in time for the conference and they were eagerly received by the teachers!! Participants commented that the panel we added this year with the Holocaust survivors sharing their stories was the most powerful part of the day.

Butterfly Project Interfaith Events with Dr Edith Eva Eger

Dr. Edith Eva Eger shared her story of survival and transformation with San Diego Jewish Academy Students and students from St. Johns Catholic School in Encinitas Ca. and their parents. There was not a dry eye in the room as she shared her painful and courageous story and declared the worth of every child in the room and that they are powerful and should never let anyone pollute their minds. It was an incredible moment when our SDJA students joined theirs on the campus of St Johns to install their butterflies.

Girl Scouts from Christian, Muslim and Jewish faiths listened intently as Dr. Eger shared her story stressing cooperation and understanding between people is the only way for a better world , where people are allowed to be who they are. Afterwards they asked questions and painted butterflies as an expression of hope and transformation. It was an inspiring afternoon at The Islamic Center of San Diego.

Butterfly Project

Watch the video from our incredible Zikaron V'Tikvah partner Levine JCC in Charlotte, North Carolina- Watch how they came to educate their students and create a sculpture by Paul Rousso. Special thanks to Wilma Asrael for making it all happen in this city.

Seacrest Retirement Village Encinitas Ca.

Quote from their Magazine "Happenings"

"The butterflies in our exhibit were made together by residents of Seacrest Village and students of the San Diego Jewish Academy. I can think of no better way than to have our very own residents, many of whom are Holocaust survivors themselves, teach our children to remember the past, act responsibly in the present and to create a more peaceful future, the very essence of this project."

West Coast Site Visits 2011

Abraham Joshua Heschel Day School in North Ridge, California made a huge installation and commitment to teach, display and inspire their community. Next we went to Kadima Hebrew Academy, West Hills California and congratulated them on their display. Hillel Academy in Beverly Hills, California enhanced their library with fluttering butterflies around the bookshelves and windows.

View Our Online Scrapbook!

Holocaust Survivor Gerhard Maschkowski installing his butterfly

Gorgeous Butterflies from Mexico City!!
Rebeca Besquin /Project Coordinator and Cheryl Price /Artist in Residence SDJA with butterflies from Texas and Australia.

Founders Jan Landau and Cheryl Price & students

at San Diego Jewish Academy

Butterflies made with cookie cutters & reshaped by hand

Welcome to our long awaited online scrapbook! With so many communities now making butterflies across the globe, we needed one central place to share our stories, images, and count our growing numbers together. We invite you to upload pictures and memories you would like to share with the butterfly making community. Feel free to post current and future events if they are specifically related to helping other communities further the mission of Zikaron V'Tikvah.

Our five year goal, is to reach as many children, adults, and Holocaust survivors as we possibly can, enabling them to participate in butterfly creation regardless of cost.

View our new video HERE!

Keep in mind we all learn from each other - this is a great place to share your inspirations and ideas!

Link to our WEBSITE and HOW TO details

Classroom Kits are available for purchase if you are not able to make them yourself. Contact Rebeca Besquin RBesquin@sdja.com 858 704-3861

Each butterfly , individually and thoughtfully made by every participant demonstrates the power of education, art and community building.

Zikaron V' Tikvah is a particularly useful hands-on teaching tool to assist and empower children while processing these complex lessons.

Educators:

For Teachers Link : "Facing History Facing Ourselves"

For Teachers Link: US Holocaust Museum Lesson Plans

TO MAKE A DONATION:

Zikaron V' Tikvah is entirely funded by private donations. For information on donating please contact Meg Goldstein MGoldstein@sdja.com 858 704-3706

The Butterfly Project in the Cleveland Jewish News!

http://www.sdja.com/cas/uploads/attachments/news/200/Zikaron%20V’Tikvah,%20“Takes%20Flight”%20at%20the%20Museum%20of%20Tolerance.pdf

The Butterfly Project at The Museum of Tolerance!

Museum of Tolerance Los Angeles

Participants at a Family Sunday( see article) painted butterflies and heard Holocaust survivors speak of their experiences. Afterwards over 500 butterflies were installed adjacent to their Anne Frank Exhibit. It was an incredible moment for our project!!

The museum has 1000 students a day learning not only about the Holocaust but using the lessons for combatting hatred and bigotry today.

Read about us in San Diego Jewish World!

http://www.jewishsightseeing.com/2008-SDJW-Quarter%204/20080917-jewish-wednesday224.html

Read Our Press Release!

http://www.jewishsightseeing.com/2007 LRS newsletters/2007_04-13.htm#SDJA