Weho Celebrates 66th V-E Day Anniversary in Plummer Park

Members of West Hollywood’s Russian community gathered in  on Sunday to mark the 66th anniversary of the Victory in Europe Day—the date when the armed forces of Nazi Germany surrendered to the Allies, ending Adolf Hitler's Third Reich.

It was a time for reminiscing and remembering as several hundred people came out for the two hour V-E (Victory in Europe) Day celebration, which included music, the releasing of white doves and speeches by local politicians.

West Hollywood is home to a large contingent of veterans who served in the Soviet army during World War II. Many of those veterans came dressed in formal military attire complete with medals earned for their service.

Dozens of children presented these veterans with flowers to honor their dedication in defeating the German forces.

Mayor John Duran and Councilman John Heilman addressed the audience in Russian while a translator was on hand to assist for the other politicians. 

In thanking the Russian community for allowing her to be a part of the observance, Councilwoman Abbe Land also acknowledged that this year’s celebration fell on Mother’s Day, saying, “My mother is far away in Massachusetts, so it is nice to be here because so many of you feel like family to me.”

Land also praised the families for including children in the observance.

“How wonderful it is to see so many of the children, because we know how important it is for the children to understand what happened in World War II,” Land said. “And to understand about Nazism, because they are our future and we depend on them to ensure that that never happens again.”

Mayor Pro Tem Jeffrey Prang thanked the veterans for their service. “I am proud to honor you for your service and your sacrifice and to tell you how important you are to the city of West Hollywood,” he said.

Prang also noted that while the number of Russian World War II veterans still living gets a little smaller each year, he pledged that he and the other City Council members will continue to come out each year for the V-E Day observance.

Los Angeles County 3rd District Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky acknowledged his Russian roots and thanked the veterans for their sacrifices.

“If it wasn’t for you, the veterans who fought against the fascists, the Nazis, the Germans, many of my family would not be alive today,” Yaroslavsky said. “Thank you very much. This is a day to honor you.”

California 42nd District Assemblyman Mike Feuer presented a resolution from the state recognizing V-E Day in West Hollywood. The resolution read: “On behalf of the state government of California, congratulations and real admiration for the courage, tenacity and resilience represented today.”

Other veterans came up to speak about the importance of the day, several noting how the Russian army was able to overcome “Nazi slavery.” Another speaker noted that Islamic extremism threatens peace, saying, “Terrorism has no place in the world in any shape or form.”

Near where the ceremony was held is the World War II Russian Veterans Memorial, which was discovered last week to have been . A new engraved stone plaque was affixed over the original engraving with a strong epoxy.

The city intends to restore the original engraving, but staffers did not have time to do so before the V-E Day observance. Instead, they covered the new plaque with a paper that bears the original engraving.

While many families posed for pictures in front of the memorial, little was said about the vandalized plaque. Beside the memorials, the city has placed a sign in English and Russian reading, “This monument will be carefully and respectfully removed and stored during the renovation of Plummer Park.”