The Butterfly Project is a non-profit organization that raises awareness for the 1.5 million children who died in the Holocaust. The program partners with schools around the world, sending boxes of ceramic butterflies and painting materials so students can paint a butterfly that will eventually be displayed in the school. Each butterfly represents one child who was a victim of genocide in the Holocaust. The purpose of the butterflies is to bring awareness to the subject in a positive way.
Dr. Colleen Iannitti, the principal at Jupiter High, decided to bring The Butterfly Project to Jupiter to show the importance of educating students about such a tragic event in history.
“I think that students really need to understand what had happened in the past, and when you remember the past and you understand what happened, it prevents similar things from occurring in the future,” Iannitti said.
Many believe that providing education on such an important subject is crucial to growth and encourages people to understand the gravity of the situation.
“It’s important to me personally because I’m Jewish and because I believe that everyone should be treated fairly no matter who you are, and I love that we are doing this because it really is a step towards making some sort of difference,” Ryann Weinstein, president of No Place for Hate, said.
Activities like The Butterfly Project encourage people to participate in bringing awareness and inclusivity to Jupiter High.
“I think the message is really about respecting everyone, respecting people’s differences, just being empathetic to people, being kind to people and just total acceptance and kindness,” Iannitti said.
Jewish students find this project personally important because they have experienced hateful behaviors towards them and this is a way to positively bring awareness to such a sensitive topic.
“I received a lot of hate for being Jewish and I realized that I wasn’t the only person who was going to face adversity whether it was being Jewish or not,”” Weinstein said.
The ADL reports 32% of Jewish students have experienced antisemitism directed at them. Prejudice comments can be made online and in person, and can escalate to damaging property and using offensive slurs.
“My big thing is make a small difference where you are,” Weinstein said. “Make a difference in the school, and hopefully that’ll carry on and it’ll continue to spread.”
