Edited by: JV Staff
As the world commemorated 18 years since the 9/11 terror attacks in the United States, the Keren Kayemet LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF), Jewish National Fund-USA (JNF) and the US Embassy in Israel held their annual memorial ceremony to honor those who perished. The 9/11 Living Memorial Monument is the only one outside of the United States to include all the names of the 9/11 victims, and reflects the shared values between Israel, the United States and the entire free world for peace and unity, and against terror.
Attending the ceremony were US Ambassador to Israel, H.E. David Friedman; Secretary of Veterans Affairs Mr. Robert Wilkie; KKL-JNF Vice Chairman, Mr. Yair Lootsteen; JNF-USA Chief Israel Officer, Mr. Eric Michaelson, as well as other distinguished guests.
Various delegations arrived from the United States and Israel for the ceremony, including United Airlines pilots, firefighters and police officers, and representatives from JNF-USA and Nefesh B’Nefesh, along with Israeli families who lost loved ones in the attack, ambassadors and other diplomats.
The 9/11 Living Memorial was established in 2009 by KKL-JNF and JNF-USA. The impressive thirty-foot-high bronze sculpture was created by the Israeli artist Eliezer Weishoff and KKL-JNFs’ landscape architect Yechiel Cohen. It portrays the American flag folded into the shape of a memorial flame; a metal shard from the ruins of the Twin Towers is incorporated into the base of the monument, which overlooks a magnificent vista of the Jerusalem Hills and the Arazim Valley.
Last evening, a ceremony of the lighting of the “Tribute in Light”, for the first time in Israel, in commemoration of the victims of 9\11 took place – opening the 9\11 remembrance day. The ceremony included the lighting of 2 beams of light, shining up to 300 meters tall over Jerusalem, similar to the “Ground Zero” tribute in New York.
US Ambassador to Israel, H.E. David Friedman: “We stood together in solidarity on 9/11 and we knew that terrorism could not defeat us. Standing here today at this beautiful memorial, we all recall that terrible day in 2001 and we honor the memory of the victims. In their honor, let us also reaffirm our sense of solidarity and commitment to our most cherished values. That will be the lasting legacy of 9/11.”
KKL-JNF Vice Chairman, Mr. Yair Lootsteen: “This monument is a symbol of flourishing, of life, of continuity and of the strong bond that KKL-JNF and Israel as a whole hold with the US. Here we choose, each year, to take an oath to those who perished – to do all we can to build an even better tomorrow for future generations.”
Mrs. Yael Levontin, JNF-USA Affiliates Director: “We established this memorial site as a message to the world, that we are here, in solidarity and unity. The “Tribute in Light,” lit last night, escalated skywards towards the heavens, is an invitation for all to join our mission to be an agent for change in the world.”
