[Archived] City of Alexandria Observes 28th Annual Days of Remembrance for Victims of Holocaust

Ceremony Speaker is Marion F. Deshmukh, Robert T. Hawkes Professor of History

For Immediate Release: April 7, 2015

The Alexandria City Council hosts the annual ceremony as part of the weeklong commemoration of the national Days of Remembrance, Sunday, April 12, through Sunday, April 19. This is the 28th consecutive year that the City has held the Days of Remembrance ceremony. The event is free and open to the public.

The speaker this year will be Marion F. Deshmukh, Robert T. Hawkes Professor of History.  Dr. Deshmukh teaches German and European history and German and Austrian art history and is a professor at George Mason University.  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 week long Days of Remembrance commemoration.

For additional information, visit www.alexandriava.gov/Recreation or call the Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities at 703.746.4343. 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.

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.