"Butterfly Project" in
Roudnice nad Labem

A "Butterfly Project" bridges the gap between San Diego, California, and Roudnice nad Labem in the Czech Republic and memorializes Czech victims of the Holocaust.

A special bond exists between the Jewish Beth Am Congregation in San Diego and the town of Roudnice nad Labem in the Czech Republic. One of the congregation’s Torah scrolls once belonged to the formerly flourishing Jewish community of Roudnice. 

The Holocaust nearly completely extinguished Jewish life in Roudnice; however, the Torah scroll was hidden and survived the war. In 1983, it was entrusted to the Jewish Beth Am Congregation in San Diego. In December 2025, this connection was commemorated in a special way. 

A delegation from San Diego—which included many young people—visited the Czech town. Together with generationE, the visiting young Americans and students from the Roudnice Gymnasium painted 16 ceramic butterflies to serve as a memorial to the young people of Roudnice who fell victim to Nazi terror. 

Furthermore, they jointly lit the candles of a Hanukkah menorah at the former Jewish cemetery in Roudnice. The butterflies from this "Butterfly Project" are now on permanent display within the school building of the Roudnice nad Labem Gymnasium.