Holocaust survivor Alfred Munzer addresses the crowd at the Days of Remembrance for the victims of the Holocaust ceremony May 6 at Market Square.
“This year especially is a day to remind the world of the terrible consequences of unbridled bigotry and hate regardless of the target.”
— Holocaust survivor Dr. Alfred Munzer
The Holocaust was the genocide of six million Jews across Eastern Europe under the regime of Nazi Germany’s Adolf Hitler. On May 6, the City of Alexandria honored the memory of those victims during the 35th annual Days of Remembrance ceremony in Market Square.
“Today is a day of remembrance dedicated to victims of the Holocaust,” said keynote speaker and Holocaust survivor Dr. Alfred Munzer. “But this year especially, as we see a terrifying rise in antisemitism both here and abroad, it is also a day to remind the world of the terrible consequences of unbridled bigotry and hate regardless of the target.”
Munzer, recently retired as Director of Pulmonary Medicine at Washington Adventist Hospital, was the featured speaker at the ceremony which was part of the weeklong commemoration of the National Days of Remembrance that runs through May 12.
Munzer was born in the Netherlands during World War II and lost his father and two sisters in the Holocaust. He spent his first four years of life hidden from Nazi occupiers with a Dutch-Indonesian family in The Hague. He and his mother immigrated to the U.S. in 1958.
During the ceremony, Rep. Don Beyer (D-8) led elected officials and dignitaries in lighting a candelabrum that was donated to the city by the late Charlene Schiff, a Holocaust survivor, and her husband, Ed. The lighting of six candles represented the six million Jews who perished during the Holocaust.
The 54-inch high, solid brass candelabrum was donated in memory of Schiff’s parents and sister, and others who perished in the Holocaust.
“Today we remember the six million Jews annihilated simply because of their existence,” said Rabbi David Spinrad of Beth El Hebrew Congregation. “But we must also remember our own safety, our own security from those who resent Jewish resilience and would deny Jewish self-determination.”
Mayor Justin Wilson reflected on the history of the city’s Days of Remembrance ceremony.
“At a time when we are experiencing an unprecedented rise in antisemitism, I would be remiss if I treated today like any other year for us in our observance,” said Mayor Justin Wilson. “When we leave here today we have to ensure that in Alexandria, in the Commonwealth and in our nation we give no harbor to antisemitism and the violence that antisemitism can lead to. We need to ensure that our community is welcoming for all regardless of how you worship and who you worship.”
The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum leads the nation in the weeklong Days of Remembrance commemoration, in accordance with Congressional mandate.
“This is an annual tradition that Alexandria started before anyone in the country was doing this,” said former City Councilman David Speck. “It’s a moment to reflect and remember and very special for the city.”
Added Marcia Speck, whose parents were survivors of the Holocaust prison camps, “I am proud of the city for doing this.”
https://www.ushmm.org/remember/days-of-remembrance/museum-remembrance-events