Gaithersburg Observes "Days of Remembrance" For Holocaust Victims

The city of Gaithersburg will observe "Days of Remembrance" from April 7-14 in honor of Holocaust victims, Mayor Sidney A. Katz announced at Tuesday evening's City Council meeting.

A proclamation recognizing the weeklong observance was presented by Katz to Holocaust survivor Mina Parsont, a Gaithersburg resident.

Parsont is a "hidden child of the Holocaust," she said after receiving the proclamation. Separated from her parents, Parsont and her sister spent six months in hiding at the home of a Catholic family in her native France.

Parsont spent many years locating the surviving family members who helped care for her in France, she said. After more than 50 years, she was reunited with them, according to a report by The Gazette.

Councilmember Ryan Spiegel joins Katz as a Jewish member of the city's highest-ranking officials.

"As somebody who had a lot of family that perished in the Holocaust, I'm proud that the city of Gaithersburg is one of many governments around the country that celebrates the 'Days of Remembrance,'" Spiegel said.

Congress established the Days of Remembrance as the nation’s annual commemoration of the Holocaust and created the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum as a permanent living memorial to the victims, according to city documents.

This year, Holocaust Remembrance Day, also known as Yom Hashoa, is Monday, April 8. The Museum has designated "Never Again: Heeding the Warning Signs" as the theme for the 2013 observance.