For several years now, the POLIN Museum in Warsaw has been organizing the “Yellow Daffodil” initiative, which commemorates the uprising of the Warsaw Ghetto that started in 1943. This initiative aims to celebrate the heroic struggle of the people against evil and their will to survive. The yellow daffodil was chosen to represent one of the Warsaw Ghetto fighters, Marek Edelman, who survived. After the war, he stayed in Poland, studied medicine, and became a cardiologist. Every year, on 19 April, when the Warsaw Ghetto uprising started, someone would bring yellow daffodils to his house. It continued until Marek Edelman’s death.
This year it marked the 80th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. The Polish Museum POLIN shared information about the “Yellow Daffodil” Initiative and invited other countries to join. In Lithuania, 17 institutions (15 schools and 2 museums) joined the initiative after sharing information with the Tolerance Education Centres and partners from other educational institutions. The POLIN Museum sent yellow paper daffodils to Lithuanian academic communities, which were used in the events held on 19 April, which not only talked about the Warsaw Ghetto uprising but also about the battle of good versus evil, about people’s efforts to resist the aggressor, and about the lessons of history that humanity has not yet learned.
Although the Warsaw Ghetto uprising, which began on 19 April 1943, lasted for about one month and was ruthlessly suppressed by the Nazis, it became a symbol of resistance to the enemy, preserving dignity for Poles and Jews all over the world. In Israel and other countries with Jewish communities, the day of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising is observed as Yom HaShoah or the Day of Heroic Resistance to Nazism and Remembrance of the Victims of the Holocaust.
We are pleased to present some of the highlights of the “Yellow Daffodil” initiative in Lithuanian educational institutions.
Educational institutions in Lithuania that took part in the Yellow Daffodil initiative:
Vladas Mironas Gymnasium (Alytus r., Daugai) and Tomas Noraus-Naruševičius Gymnasium (Alytus r. Krokialaukis), Antanas Baranauskas Primary School (Anykščiai), Balio Sruogos Gymnasium (Biržai r. Vabalninkas), Vaivorykštės Gymnasium (Gargzdai), Senamiesčio Gymnasium (Jonava), University of Health Sciences Gymnasium (Kaunas), Kėdainiai Vocational Training Centre, Marija Pečkauskaitė Gymnasium (Mažeikiai r. Židikai), Toms Žilinskas Gymnasium (Prienai r. Veiveriai), Viduklė Simonas Stanevičius Gymnasium (Raseiniai r. Viduklė), Vinco Kudirkos Pro-Gymnasium (Šiauliai), Lavoriškės Gymnasium (Vilnius), Paberžės Gymnasium (Vilnius), Žiburio Primary School (Visaginas), as well as two museums: Kaunas IX Fort Museum and the Museum of Kėdainiai Region.
The Secretariat of the International Commission would like to thank the POLIN Museum and the Lithuanian schools and museums that contributed to this initiative.
