[Archived] City of 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 Thursday, May 1, 2014, in Market Square, 301 King Street. This year’s theme is “Memory, Arts, and the Future”.  The Alexandria City Council hosts the annual ceremony as part of the weeklong commemoration of the national Days of Remembrance, Sunday, April 27, through Sunday, May 4. This is the 27th 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. (Cameron St. side of the building).   

The centerpiece of this year’s ceremony will be the commemorative quilt created by 35 students of Commonwealth Academy, under the direction of their art teacher, Ksenya Litvak.  Dr. Susan Johnson, Head of School, will introduce attendees to the quilt, which will be on display.  Local clergy and students will participate. 

 During the ceremony, Alexandria Mayor William D. Euille and City Council members will light a candelabrum that the late 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 Cheryl Lawrence at 703.746.5419 (VA Relay 711) or e-mail cheryl.lawrence@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.