Butterfly Day 2023
The LJCDS community joins together to honor the children lost in the Holocaust.
On September 20, 2023, Torreys united to commemorate children who died in the Holocaust for Butterfly Day. With approximately 1,180 LJCDS students from age 3 to Grade 12, plus faculty and staff, the morning featured age-appropriate discussions, a concert, an art project, human butterfly formations and a guest speaker who survived six concentration camps.
In the Classroom
Torreys from each division were paired together for student-led activities in the classroom. With the youngest students, they considered how each person is unique and special in their own way. Another group searched for fellow students who had similarities, like a sibling or a love for chocolate, to show what they had in common.
Another room had students standing in a circle and stepping forward if the statement read out loud applied to them. They shared thoughts on the significance of the dignity of every human being and recognized the importance of being an upstander.
In conjunction with The Butterfly Project, students painted ceramic butterflies, each representing one of the 1.5 million children lost to the Holocaust. The Butterfly Project is an international endeavor whose mission is “a call to action through education, the arts and memorial making. It uses the lessons of the Holocaust to educate about the dangers of hatred and bigotry and cultivates empathy and social responsibility.”
The finished butterflies will be displayed around campus as symbols of resilience, hope, transformation and freedom. On the south end of Community Hall is a butterfly garden with a bench and mural featuring ceramic butterflies from participating in The Butterfly Project in 2018.
In the Amphitheater
The schoolwide concert celebrated LJCDS’ commitment to dignity, diversity and belonging. The Madrigals and Middle School singers performed “Inscription of Hope” by Z. Randall Stroope with the Upper School orchestra before singing “Hallelujah” by Leonard Cohen. Two poems from Hannah Senesh, a World War II resistance fighter, were read, alumna Pip Lewis ’20 sang “You’ve Got a Friend” by Carole King, and the dance team performed. The Madrigals sang “We’ll Rise Above” arranged by Masa Fukuda before the audience was encouraged to join in singing “I’m a Believer” by Neil Diamond.
On the Field
The closing ceremony brought the community together on the football field. Students formed three human butterflies, one for each division. The Upper School publicists led movements like swaying their arms to make it look like the butterflies’ wings were flapping from above.
Guest speaker Ben Midler shared his survival story after enduring six concentration camps during the Holocaust. He was the only member of his family to make it out alive. Now, the 95-year-old Carlsbad resident is dedicated to educating others about the Holocaust so it doesn’t happen again. With a positive attitude and unmistakable resilience, he encouraged students that if they stay focused on their dreams, they will come true. Ben’s motto is “Yesterday is gone, today is today, and tomorrow will be better.”
In the Media
Watch the KPBS news segment and read more in the La Jolla Light article and the lajolla.ca article.
