Central Nova News

The City of Alexandria will hold its annual Days of Remembrance ceremony for Holocaust victims on May 6 at Market Square. This event, part of a national commemoration week from May 5 to May 12, marks the 35th year Alexandria has observed this tradition. The public is invited to attend the free ceremony, which will be relocated to City Hall's Council Chambers in case of bad weather.

Dr. Alfred Münzer, a retired physician and Holocaust survivor, will be the guest speaker. Born in the Netherlands during World War II, Dr. Münzer lost his father and two sisters to the Holocaust and spent his early years hidden from Nazi occupiers by a Dutch-Indonesian family. He immigrated to the United States with his mother in 1958 and has volunteered at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum for a decade.

Mayor Justin Wilson and City Council members will light a candelabrum donated by Charlene Schiff, another Holocaust survivor, in memory of her family and others who perished during the Holocaust. The candelabrum is available for educational purposes.

The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum oversees the national Days of Remembrance activities under Congressional mandate.

For more information about Alexandria’s ceremony, contact the Department of Recreation, Parks & Cultural Activities at 703-746-5565. Language interpretation services are available via email at LanguageAccess@alexandriava.gov or phone at 703-746-3960. For disability accommodations, reach out to CherylAnne.Colton@alexandriava.gov or call 703-746-5565.