Vol. 33, No. 5
Nisan-lyar 5771
May 2011
An Affiliate of the Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte
May 1 Yom HaShoa Commemoration Coordinated With the Butterfly
Project Dedication
This year’s Yom HaShoah com
memoration to honor the memory
of those who perished in the
Holocaust will take place on May
1. The Yom HaShoah event will
also include the dedication of the
Margaret and Lou Schwartz
Butterfly Garden. The focal point
of the garden is a magnificent
sculpture, designed by Paul
Rous so and adorned with more
than 2,000 vibrant hand-painted
butterflies, honoring the tragic
loss of 1.5 million children.
The Butterfly Project is part of
a worldwide effort, Zikaron
V’tikvah, Remembrance and Hope,
which strives to promote tolerance
and understanding through educa
tion and artistic expression.
Through the project’s educational
workshops, faith and school
groups as well as many other
members of the greater Charlotte
community created over 2,800
ceramic butterflies, each one craft
ed in the name of a specific child
who died in the Holocaust.
The garden and sculpture are
the result of the perseverance,
planning, and generous contribu
tions of Butterfly Project volun
teers and community members
over the last three years. The gar
den is named for the parents of
Larry Schwartz, current President
of the Sandra & Leon Levine
Jewish Community Center.
Margaret Berger and Lou
Schwartz were teenagers living in
Chust, a Czechoslovakian village,
when one day in 1943, they came
home from school to find their
entire families gone. Soon after.
Margaret, 14, was sent to
Auschwitz and Lou, 17, was
sent to Dachau. They never
saw their immediate families
again. Both Margaret and Lou
were deemed strong enough to
work as slave laborers;
Margaret made light bulbs and
Lou built underground
bunkers. By the time of their
liberations, each had been
starved to less than 100
pounds.
They returned to their vil
lage to find it in mins, with no
family members left.
Amazingly, they found each other
and, with a great desire to move on
with their lives, they married. In
1947, the young couple and their
first child moved from Bratislava
to Natanya, Israel, and in 1953 the
family immigrated to the United
States at the invitation of a rela
tive. They eventually settled in
New Jersey with their children,
Jeffrey, Yaffa and Larry.
Larry stressed that neither of
his parents were bitter about their
past experiences. Margaret and
Lou Schwartz were always forth
coming about what they had been
through, grateful that they had sur
vived, and happy that they were
able to make a better life for their
children. Indeed, in 1967,
Margaret and Lou started their
own business. United Canvas &
Sling, Inc., which flourishes as a
family business to this day. They
instilled a strong work ethic in
their children and each child par
ticipated in the family business at
a young age. Jeffrey, Yaffa and
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Margaret and Lou Schwartz
Larry, in turn, had great love and
respect for their parents and appre
ciated all they had gone through to
give their children a better life.
Despite all the hardships and
heartbreak they endured, Margaret
and Lou retained their love for
God and Judaism. They both had
great inner strength and a desire to
educate others about the
Holocaust. They often spoke to
their children, grandchildren and
student groups about their lives
during those traumatic times.
They participated in Stephen
Spielberg’s Survivors of the Shoah
Visual History Foundation by
recording their individual stories.
(DVDs of their testimonies will be
available at the Levine-Skint
Judaic Library.)
With this in mind, Larry
Schwartz was immediately drawn
to the Butterfly Project when he
learned about it from Judy August,
a Butterfly Project volunteer. He
felt that the story and legacy of his
parents, now deceased, would be
greatly honored by a memorial for
the children lost in the Holocaust.
The dedication of The Margaret
and Lou Schwartz Butterfly
Garden, however, is only one
aspect of The Butterfly Project.
The educational workshops will
continue, and with the ongoing
participation of volunteers and
Yom HaShoah and the Dedication of the Children’s
Holocaust Memorial Sculpture
Sunday, May 1,1:30 PM
Location: The Margaret and Lou Schwartz Butterfly Garden
Join us at the entrance to the Blumenthal Education Building next to
the Levine-Sklut Judaic Library for the unveiling and dedication of
the Children’s Holocaust Memorial Sculpture that honors the 1.5
million children who perished. The educational programs are free,
however space is limited.
The ceremony will be followed by two educational programs.
Tickets for these educational programs are available at the Levine
JCC Customer Service Desk (704-366-5007).
Who Will Tell Their Story: Passing on the Legacy
Sunday, May 1, 2:30-4 PM
Location: Gorelick Hall
Appropriate for age 10+
This premiere performance was written by our local teens highlight
ing the stories of Holocaust survivors, Suly Chenkin and Irving
Bienstock.
Voices of the Children of the Holocaust
Sunday, May 1, 2:30-4 PM
Location: Sam Lemer Center
A lecture by Dr. Racelle Weiman, Director of The Center for
Holocaust and Humanity Education, Temple University
Exhibit of artifacts related to Anne Frank and
Children of the Holocaust
Sunday, May 1, 9 AM-4:30 PM
Location: Levine-Sklut Judaic Library and Resource Center
There will be age-appropriate activities for 5-10 year olds (1:15-4
PM in Levinson Family Place) and babysitting available, both by
reservation (704-366-5007).
For more information about the project and related events, please
visit The Butterfly Project at www.charlottejcc.org.
donors, they will continue in per
petuity. Further, it is hoped that
area schools will designate The
Garden as a field trip destination
for Charlotte’s youth to learn
about the Holocaust and to come
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Also inside,,,
Yom HaZikaron, Yom Ha’Atzmaut
Community Celebration, see page 15
Temple Beth El Mitzvah Day, see page 10
drumSTRONG, Drum to Beat Cancer,
see page 26
to a deeper understanding of the
consequences of racism and intol
erance.
The Shalom Park memorial to
the children lost in the Holocaust
and the Margaret and Lou
Schwartz Butterfly Garden will
become a lasting piece of the fab
ric of this community’s rich histo
ry. Your attendance at this year’s
Yom Ha’Shoah Community
Observance is welcome (please
see details in sidebar). And so too,
is your participation in the ongo
ing life of Charlotte’s Butterfly
Project. As a volunteer or a con
tributor, you can make a differ
ence. Please visit www.charlotte-
jcc.org for more details. ^