[Archived] City Marks Remembrance of Holocaust with Ceremony on April 23

City Press Release


	City of Alexandria, Virginia Office of the City Manager Alexandria City Hall 301 King Street, Suite 3500 Alexandria, Virginia 22314-3211 www.alexandriava.gov Telephone: 703.838.4300 Fax : 703.838.6343

City Marks Remembrance of Holocaust
With Ceremony on April 23

The City of Alexandria will observe the Days of Remembrance, in honor and memory of the victims of the Holocaust, with a ceremony at 12 noon on April 23. The ceremony will take place in Market Square, in front of City Hall, 301 King St. The Days of Remembrance ceremony is hosted by the Alexandria City Council and is open to the public.

Edward B. O’Donnell, Jr. will speak at the ceremony. On Dec.12, 2003, the President George W. Bush accorded Edward B. O’Donnell, Jr. the rank of Ambassador during his tenure of service as Special Envoy for Holocaust Issues. Over half of Mr. O’Donnell’s career has been dedicated to European economic and political issues. Previous positions include: Economic Counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Austria; West German Desk Officer for political, political military and Holocaust issues; East German Desk Officer and Commercial Officer, U.S. Mission Berlin.

Since 1988, the City of Alexandria has hosted this annual ceremony observing the Days of Remembrance of the Holocaust, known internationally as Yom Hashoah. The Alexandria event, which is planned by a committee of residents and City staff, is the only community government-sponsored commemoration of Yom Hashoah in the Washington metropolitan area.

This is the seventeenth consecutive year that the City has come together to observe Yom Hashoah. It acknowledges and reflects on the suffering of the more than six million Jews, Roma, and others who lost their lives during the Holocaust.

For more information about the City's Yom Hashoah observance, contact Janet Barnett with the Alexandria Department of Recreation and Cultural Activities, 703.838.4842.

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