Sunday Sitdown: Daffodil Project honors millions of children lost during Holocaust

PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — It’s the first time local groups will participate in a global project meant to honor the youngest victims of the Holocaust.

For this week’s Sunday Sitdown, it’s all about the Daffodil Project.

The Daffodil Project is a global effort to plant over 1.5 million daffodils to honor the 1.5 children who perished during the Holocaust and to support children suffering in humanitarian crises in the world today.

President Norman Soroko of the Jewish Museum and Cultural Center in Portsmouth said this is the first time a Hampton Roads organization is getting involved in the project. It all started after a member of their board got involved.

“We wanted to get more into community involvement. And all of the synagogues throughout the area believe in the Holocaust. We have education programs, there’s movies. And the board was very adamant when it was presented to us to do it,” he said.

Thanks to the help of volunteers, they planted over 3,000 daffodils Sunday morning outside the Jewish Museum and Cultural Center in Portsmouth.

There’s also a lot of symbolism behind the decision to plant daffodils. The yellow color and shape of the flower represents the yellow star that Jews were forced to wear during the Holocaust.

The group also hopes to host an event in March when they all bloom.

Learn more about the organization here.