Vigil Planned at Weis Markets to Honor Abdulrazzak

Employees of Weis Markets on Chestnut Street in Emmaus have organized a last-minute vigil to honor Donya Abdulrazzak as June 4 marks the one-year anniversary of her death.

Abdulrazzak’s friends and co-workers plan to hold the vigil on Saturday, June 4 at 11:30 p.m. in the Weis Markets parking lot. The event is open to anyone in the community who wishes to participate.

Candles will light the scene as songs are sung and memories are recalled about the beautiful life Abdulrazzak shared with her fellow Emmaus residents.

Staci Clark, a front-end leader at Weis, has taken the lead in organizing the event.

“Last year we wanted to do this, but our store manager didn’t think it was the best timing for it because of everything the family was going through. This year, and I were talking about it, and it kind of went from there,” Clark said.

From her own funds, Clark has purchased 120 candles to pass out at the vigil. She expects 20-30 Weis employees to be in attendance. A fellow employee, Alana Gehringer, will sing two songs in Abdulrazzak’s memory.

Abdulrazzak, a 20-year-old refugee from Iraq, came to Emmaus with her family in 2009 to seek safety and freedom from their war-torn country. She excelled in her studies at Cedar Crest College and was loved by all who knew her.

In addition to her strong work ethic and her dedication to her studies, Abdulrazzak was also a leader in her home as she helped care for her four younger siblings while her parents worked night shifts at Lehigh Valley Hospital.

She was , Darius Maurer, also of Emmaus, on the Rodale Fitness Track on S. 10th Street in Emmaus on June 4, 2010.

on Tuesday, May 31, 2011, to life in prison without parole.

The organizers of the event would like to add a few more singers or musicians. If anyone wishes to participate in the vigil by singing or playing an instrument, please contact Jenae Holtzhafer at patchjenae@gmail.com.