Alexandria Observes 36th Annual Holocaust Remembrance Day with Music, Memory, and Resilience
Over 100 gather at Market Square Thursday April 24 to remember the darkest period in human history
Eighty years after the liberation of Nazi concentration camps, we stand here today to remember not only the immense tragedy, but also the heroism that arose from it.
Rabbi Steven Rein, Agudas Achim Congregation
They came to gather at Market Square, over 100 strong, the air thick with the weight of memories, at noon on Thursday April 24, 2025. The day was Yom HaShoah, Hebrew for Day of the Holocaust, a day to remember and mourn the six million Jews murdered by the Nazis during World War II.
As antisemitism continues to climb precipitously in this county, Holocaust survivors (what few remain), children of Holocaust survivors, grandchildren, community leaders, and city residents came together to fulfill the sacred oath of remembrance on this solemn day.
Alexandria Mayor Alyia Gaskins stressed the importance of this annual ceremony.
“We must never, ever forget the atrocities that human beings experienced during this dark time in our history,” Gaskins began in her opening remarks. “Remembrance is important. It is important because it not only obligates us to memorialize those who were killed during the Holocaust, it also reminds us of the fragility of democracy and the need for each of us to be vigilant in the protection of democratic ideals.”
This is Gaskins’ first year addressing this assembly as mayor. She pointed out that Alexandria was the first municipality in the region to hold this annual observance.
The Day of the Holocaust commemorates the Wasaw Ghetto Uprising which began on Passover 1943. Rabbi Steven Rein of Agudas Achim Congregation said it was no accident that Israel established this day four days after Passover. He drew parallels between that ancient liberation and the emaciated fighters of the Warsaw Ghetto, who fought valiantly until the end.
“Eighty years after the liberation of Nazi concentration camps, we stand here today to remember not only the immense tragedy, but also the heroism that arose from it,” Rabbi Rein intoned.
Rabbi Rein Paid tribute to the Righteous Gentiles, those who risked their lives to hide and save Jews.
“Like Moses”, the rabbi taught, “invoking the story of Passover, we must call out injustice when we see it, muster the requisite courage to stand up for what is right, and demonstrate the resolve to see our choices through, especially if the going gets tough. As we reflect on the Holocaust, let us remember that our ability to exercise our own free will is not just a measure of our humanity, it is the very thing that makes life worth living.”
In 1980, The US Congress established Days of Remembrance as the nation’s annual commemoration of the Holocaust.
Rabbi David Spinrad of Beth El Hebrew Congregation told the story of Hugo Gryn, a young boy. The child was imprisoned at Auschwitz and watched as his father secretly lit the Chanukah menorah.
“Take a moment to imagine the starkness of a concentration camp in December during the festival of Chanukah. Imagine how biting was the cold. How gnawed the hunger in their bellies. How the darkness seemed utterly absolute. And yet Hugo’s father, amidst this unimaginable despair, found a way to fulfill the mitzvah, the sacred obligation of lighting the Hanukkah menorah. Using a bit of margarine from their meager rations and strands of thread taken from their prison uniforms, Hugo’s father kindled tiny flames, one for each of the nights.
Young Hugo asked his father, how can we celebrate life in the midst of such darkness? Father, where is hope? His father, with the wisdom born both of suffering and faith replied, my son, we must light precisely because it’s dark.”
Hugo Gryn survived Auschwitz and went on to become a prominent rabbi in Great Britain.
Reverend Dr. David Glade of Christ the King Anglican Church delivered greetings on behalf of the Alexandria faith community. He thought back to 2019 when an electrical fire damaged his church. It was late December and when he went looking for a temporary home, all churches, “not surprisingly,” were booked on Christmas. Agudas Achim Congregation was wide open. The synagogue opened its doors to Glade’s congregation for several months and refused any compensation.
“It is a story that my congregation and I remember. We remember that act of kindness with great gladness. It’s important for us to remember that, just the same way it’s important for us to remember the acts of cruelty with great sadness.”
The large candelabrum was then lit as Leo and Lev Dienstfrey played the theme from Schindler’s List on violin and viola. Six electric candles were lit, one for each of the six million who perished in the Holocaust. The candelabrum was donated by the late Charlene Schiff, a Holocaust survivor, and her husband Ed. The attendees then rose for the mourning prayers.
Zebra sat down with keynote speaker Dr. Richard Breitman after the ceremony. Breitman is a distinguished professor emeritus at American University and is best known for his seminal work FDR and the Jews, co-authored with Allan Lichtman.
Eighty years after World War II, a heated debate lingers over whether Franklin Delano Roosevelt turned his back on the Jews of Hitler’s Europe. Defenders claim that FDR saved millions by defeating Nazi Germany. Others revile him for showing a callous disregard toward those Jews and indict him for keeping America’s gates closed to Jewish refugees and failing to bomb the train tracks leading to Auschwitz.
Breitman asserts FDR was inconsistent and documents four stages.
“Roosevelt adapted to situations, he didn’t put the rescue of foreign Jews at the top of his list. But he spoke more about the Holocaust and did more about the Holocaust than any of the other allied leaders. Admittedly, Breitman added, “it’s a very low standard of comparison.”
