09-11-2008, 02:06 PM
Shlama to all--
I just wanted to take a moment and remember with everyone what happened on this day 7 years ago. I don't know if I ever mentioned it, but my mother told me once I lost a distant cousin in the terror attacks. He was a firefighter trapped in Tower 1. What was more close to home however was that my Aunt Marion and young cousin Ivy lived in that part of Manhattan. Ivy went to a private school only a few miles away from Ground Zero and for a few hellish hours, we could not get a hold of her and were very, very scared for her safety. She was fine of course, and is now a 2nd year Law Student at John Jay College. But back then, she was just a scared 13 year old whose Bat Mitzvah I attended just months before. For me, my face of Sept 11th was Ivy.
But I must remember that Ivy was not one of the victims of these attacks, praise Yah. So many others though were no so lucky, and on that fateful day America found out finally what it was like to be the state of Israel, but I would rather they have their ignorance back in exchange for the lives that were lost to return to us.
So today is not about theology and it's not about politics and opinions. It is about remembrance and respect, and yes, I am kind of used to doing these things at this sacred time of year in "the Yuntif Zone" as one rabbi recently put it to me.
To all those who grieve because of the terror attacks, let me just say:
Baruch haba b'shem YHWH! (Blessed is he who comes in the name of Yahweh)
Y'vararekh 'kha Yahweh v'yishmaerekha (May Yahweh bless and keep you)
Ya'er Yahweh panav eleikha v'chunekka (May Yahweh make His countenance shine upon you and be gracious to you.)
Yissa Yahweh panav eleikha v'yasem l'kha shalom (May Yahweh lift up His countenance towards you and give you peace.)
Shlama w'burkate
Andrew Gabriel Roth
I just wanted to take a moment and remember with everyone what happened on this day 7 years ago. I don't know if I ever mentioned it, but my mother told me once I lost a distant cousin in the terror attacks. He was a firefighter trapped in Tower 1. What was more close to home however was that my Aunt Marion and young cousin Ivy lived in that part of Manhattan. Ivy went to a private school only a few miles away from Ground Zero and for a few hellish hours, we could not get a hold of her and were very, very scared for her safety. She was fine of course, and is now a 2nd year Law Student at John Jay College. But back then, she was just a scared 13 year old whose Bat Mitzvah I attended just months before. For me, my face of Sept 11th was Ivy.
But I must remember that Ivy was not one of the victims of these attacks, praise Yah. So many others though were no so lucky, and on that fateful day America found out finally what it was like to be the state of Israel, but I would rather they have their ignorance back in exchange for the lives that were lost to return to us.
So today is not about theology and it's not about politics and opinions. It is about remembrance and respect, and yes, I am kind of used to doing these things at this sacred time of year in "the Yuntif Zone" as one rabbi recently put it to me.
To all those who grieve because of the terror attacks, let me just say:
Baruch haba b'shem YHWH! (Blessed is he who comes in the name of Yahweh)
Y'vararekh 'kha Yahweh v'yishmaerekha (May Yahweh bless and keep you)
Ya'er Yahweh panav eleikha v'chunekka (May Yahweh make His countenance shine upon you and be gracious to you.)
Yissa Yahweh panav eleikha v'yasem l'kha shalom (May Yahweh lift up His countenance towards you and give you peace.)
Shlama w'burkate
Andrew Gabriel Roth