Holocaust Victims to be Honored in Market Square Ceremony

The City of Alexandria will observe the 26th annual Days of Remembrance, or Yom HaShoah, for the victims of the Holocaust next week with guest speaker Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.)

This year’s theme is “The Danger of Indifference.” The event will be at noon Wednesday in Market Square at 301 King St.

The Alexandria City Council hosts the annual ceremony as part of the weeklong commemoration of the National Days of Remembrance, which this year is being held Sunday, April 7, through Sunday, April 14. The remembrance program is open to the public.

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Moran is serving his 12th term as a U.S. representative. He served as Alexandria's mayor for five years, from 1985 to 1990.

In 1988, after returning from Israel, Moran initiated the Days of Remembrance program. This made the City Alexandria the first local government in the area to sponsor a civic ceremony in commemoration of Yom Hashoah.

During the ceremony, Alexandria Mayor Bill Euille and City Council members will light a candelabrum that Holocaust survivor Charlene Schiff and her husband, Ed, donated to the city.

Charlene Schiff passed away in January.

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The 54-inch high solid brass candelabrum was given to the city in memory of Schiff’s parents, sister and the 6 million Jews and millions of others who perished in the Holocaust.