Jasenovac Memorial Site has been collaborating with the Holocaust Education Trust Ireland since 2009 on The Crocus Project, in which primary and secondary school students plant crocus bulbs in memory of the 1.5 million Jewish children and thousands of other children killed during the Holocaust. Crocus was chosen for this project because its yellow flowers are reminiscent of the yellow stars of David that Jews were forced to wear under Nazi rule.
The Crocus Project includes year-round activities that begin with the registration of the school to participate in the project in May, continuing with planting and monitoring the growth of bulbs from autumn to spring and conducting various additional activities on the Holocaust and ending with project evaluation.
The project can involve one or more classes under the guidance of a teacher whose subject is teaching about the Holocaust, so the project can be realised within a wide range of subjects such as history, Croatian language, English language, ethics, religion, sociology. The Crocus Project introduces young people to the Holocaust in an interesting and dynamic way and raises awareness of the dangers of discrimination, prejudice and intolerance. In addition to crocus bulbs, schools are sent additional teaching materials with examples and suggestions for teaching about the Holocaust in general and as part of individual subjects. These textbooks complement existing textbooks as an additional source of material on the importance of tolerance and interculturalism.
Over the years, under the guidance of teachers, students have planted the bulbs and monitored their growth in their schools in various creative ways. In addition to watching movies and reading books on the Holocaust and making posters, many students have invested extra effort, motivation and imagination in their work. Some schools planted crocuses in the shape of the Star of David, while others cleaned up old Jewish cemeteries in their towns and planted crocuses in them. Students researched the history of Jewish communities in their cities and biographies of famous Jewish people, conducted interviews with Holocaust survivors, and made short films, articles and newspapers about the Holocaust.