Page 1 - The Jewish Voice - October '23

VOL. 13 NO. 10 www.seabreezepublications.com OCTOBER 2023

Students Honor Children Who Perished in the Holocaust

When students at the Omni Middle School in Boca “It was a truly heartfelt day,” Felice said. “What tears
Raton returned for the new school year, they were greeted at the heart are the individualized butterflies made by each
by more than 300 ceramic butterflies painted in numerous student, which truly portray the innocence and preciousness
colors and styles now hanging on several walls in the of each individual life that was lost. We thank the HLE for
school’s main atrium. taking this extra step in having the mural become part of
The butterflies were created throughout the past school year people’s lives.”
by students as part of a year-long project offered by the School The butterflies at Omni Middle School are among
District of Palm Beach and the Holocaust Learning Experience the thousands being created by the HLE with students at
(HLE) presented by MorseLife Next Generations. This project Palm Beach County public schools. Five thousand more
was also created in partnership with NCSY, formerly known are finding a home as part of The Gendelman Children’s
as the National Conference of Synagogue Youth. Holocaust Memorial on the MorseLife campus in West Palm
The colorful new additions to the school’s campus are Beach. The painted ceramic butterflies will flutter in the
part of The Butterfly Project in which ceramic butterflies are wind once attached to the bronze memorial that takes the
permanently displayed as symbols of resilience and hope, with form of a tree and rises 25 feet with a 28-foot-wide canopy.
the goal of creating 1.5 million butterflies around the world, Groups will soon be able to schedule a personalized,
one for each child who perished in the Holocaust. age-appropriate visit to The Holocaust Learning Experience
Students received a biography of a child lost in the featuring The Gendelman Children’s Holocaust Memorial.
Holocaust with each butterfly they were given to paint. The These visits will be led by HLE Ambassadors and children
butterflies now serve as a reminder of the lessons of the of Holocaust survivors. The memorial hopes to remind us
Holocaust to stand up against bigotry and hate wherever of our shared humanity and inspire us to share the lessons
it exists. of the past if we aspire to create a more peaceful future.
The Butterfly mural was unveiled in June by Omni
Middle School principal Nikkia Deluz, artists Dan Barnett
and Denise Felice, Omni Middle School art teacher Marysalis Beth Am Holds
Hernandez, and MorseLife Director of Jewish Life Rabbi Erica
Rosenkranz.
Volunteers Prepare, Annual Sunrise

Deliver Meals to Those in Need Service

To kick off the month of Elul, Temple Beth Am held
Nearly 2,000 vulnerable homebound seniors, Holocaust a special sunrise service at Juno Beach Pier. Attendees
survivors, and community members struggling with crisis enjoyed a short service, music and prayer, the first shofar
enjoyed a warm Rosh Hashanah meal thanks to hundreds blowing of the season, and a beautiful sunrise together.
of volunteers with the Jewish Federation of Palm Beach The service was led by Rabbi Alon Levkovitz and
County’s Dorothy & Sidney Kohl Jewish Volunteer Center Cantorial Soloist Marcy Morris.
(JVC). In partnership with MorseLife’s Homebound

Mitzvah Program, Alpert Jewish Family Service, and The
Kind Kitchen of Palm Beach, volunteers prepared and
delivered meals throughout the Palm Beaches to ensure
those who need it most could enjoy a meaningful New Year.
The annual volunteer initiative through the Kohl JVC
continues to expand each
year, in addition to a myriad
of local volunteer programs
including supporting
literacy in schools and
volunteer-matching, as well
as a series of community-
wide signature programs
— including 8 Ways of

Volunteers Prepare on page 2