The Daffodil Project

Addison Pendegraft, section editor

The Daffodil Project aims to build a worldwide Living Holocaust Memorial by planting 1.5 million Daffodils to honor the 1.5 million the children who perished in the Holocaust according to their website. This project also aspires to support children suffering in humanitarian crises globally today. 

As of April 10, their Memorial Gardens include 1,241,000 daffodils in 779 locations worldwide, which is 83 percent progress to their total goal. Memorial gardens now bloom as far away as Kenya, Poland and Japan, connecting communities through remembrance and solidarity. Many schools have utilized this project as a hands‑on teaching tool that helps students gain a deeper understanding of the Holocaust. The Daffodil Project is an initiative of Am Yisrael Chai, a nonprofit Holocaust Education and Genocide Awareness Organization. ‘Am Yisrael Chai’ is a term for the resilience of Jewish people meaning ‘The People of Israel Live.’

Daffodils were chosen intentionally due to their shape and color representing the yellow stars that Jewish people were forced to wear during the Holocaust. The daffodils represent hope and resilience due to being perennials, meaning they return every spring with a new life. Also, daffodils being yellow, the color of remembrance, illustrates how these flowers honor those who survived the Holocaust and went on to build new lives after this dark and difficult period. But these daffodils aren’t just symbols of a tragedy, according to Ms. Graiser, social study teacher and sponsor of the project, “they’re bold reminders of our obligation to build a world rooted in compassion, justice, and service.” The daffodils also help to show that “even after humanity’s darkest moments, [they] have the responsibility—and the ability—to grow, rebuild, and choose a better path forward.”

“This project matters because it directly connects remembrance to action. Learning about the past shouldn’t be passive—it requires us to take responsibility for shaping a better future,” said Ms. Graiser.

This project also “challenges people to remember what happened, to recognize their role in preventing hatred from taking root again, and to choose an empathetic path forward,” said Ms. Graiser. This is because history has an unfortunate tendency to repeat itself whenever the past is forgotten. But this project helps to prevent that as “planting a daffodil for each child makes the history personal and undeniable, reminding us that every single person had a story, a family, and a future that was stolen.” And it ensures that both students and the community at large connect with history in a tangible and impactful way.

Ms. Graiser went on to say that this project aligns deeply with her “own journey—[her] Jewish identity, [her] commitment to service, and [her] belief that even small acts, like planting a single bulb, can create meaningful connections for [her] students.”

“The Daffodil Project is about remembering the past while planting hope for the future. Every student who plants a daffodil becomes part of that promise: to never forget, and to always choose kindness and humanity,” said Ms. Graiser.