[Archived] City of Alexandria Observes Days of Remembrance For Victims of the Holocaust

City Press Release


	For Immediate Release	For More Information, Contact
	April 10, 2006 PIO# 077-06/rdo	Steven J. Mason, Public Information Officer, or Raynard Owens, Communications Officer, at 703.838.4300 Raynard Owens, Communications Officer, at 703.838.4300

City of Alexandria Observes Days of Remembrance
For Victims of the Holocaust

For the nineteenth consecutive year, the City of Alexandria will observe the Days of Remembrance, or Yom HaShoah, for the victims of the Holocaust with a ceremony at noon on Tuesday, April 25, in Market Square, 301 King St. The guest speaker will be Ruth W. Messinger, president and executive director of the American Jewish World Service (AJWS). The event is open to the public. In case of inclement weather, the ceremony will be held in the Vola Lawson Lobby, which is located on the first floor of City Hall, 301 King St., on the Cameron Street side.

Before assuming her position at AJWS in 1998, Ruth W. Messinger worked in public service in New York City for 20 years. Messinger is currently a visiting professor at Hunter College where she teaches urban policy and politics. Her volunteer activities include being an active member of the Society for the Advancement of Judaism and serving on the boards of several not-for-profit organizations.

The Alexandria City Council will host the ceremony as part of the weeklong commemoration of the annual Days of Remembrance for victims of the Holocaust, which will occur this year from Sunday, April 23, through Sunday, April 30. The United States 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.

During the event, Alexandria Mayor William D. Euille and other City council members will light the candelabrum that Holocaust survivor Charlene Schiff and her husband, Ed, donated to the City. The 54-inch-high solid brass candelabrum was presented to the City in memory of Charlene Schiff’s parents, sister, and six million Jews and millions of others who perished in the Holocaust.

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

For additional information on the Days of Remembrance, call the City's Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities at 703.838.4343.

# # #