Alexandria Observes Days of Remembrance for Victims of Holocaust

The City of Alexandria will observe the Days of Remembrance, Yom HaShoah, for the victims of the Holocaust at noon on Wednesday, May 4, 2011, in Market Square, 301 King Street. The Alexandria City Council hosts the annual ceremony as part of the weeklong commemoration of the national Days of Remembrance, Sunday, May 1, through Sunday, May 8. This is the 24th consecutive year that the City has held the Days of Remembrance ceremony. The event is free and open to the public. In case of inclement weather, the ceremony will be held in the Vola Lawson Lobby on the first floor of City Hall, 301 King St. (on the Cameron St. side of the building). 

The guest speaker for the ceremony will be Robert Kupiecki, the current ambassador of Poland to the United States.
During the ceremony, Alexandria Mayor William D. Euille and City Council members will light a candelabrum that Holocaust survivor Charlene Schiff and her husband, Ed, donated to the City. The 54-inch high solid brass candelabrum was given to the City in memory of Charlene Schiff’s parents, sister, and the six million Jews and millions of others who perished in the Holocaust.

The Schiff candelabrum, under the care of the City’s Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities, is made available to schools and civic groups studying the Holocaust and to the City’s annual observance of the Days of Remembrance.

The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, in accordance with its Congressional mandate (Public Law 96-388, 10/7/80), is leading the nation in the weeklong Days of Remembrance commemoration.
The City of Alexandria is committed to compliance with the City’s Human Rights Code and Americans with Disabilities Act. To request a reasonable accommodation or to request materials in an alternative format, call Jack Browand at 703.746.4343 (TTY 703.838.4902) or e-mail jack.browand@alexandriava.gov.

For additional information on Alexandria’s Days of Remembrance ceremony, call the Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities at 703.746.4343.