A Decade After 9/11

Join the JTS Community

As We Commemorate the 10th Anniversary of 9/11

Through Prayer, Reflection, and Gemilut Hasadim


The Jewish Theological Seminary, a world leader in interfaith dialogue, is hosting a variety of religious observances and community service opportunities to pay tribute to those who lost their lives on 9/11; honor the surviving families and first responders to the scenes of the attacks; remember those who were killed or injured in the 1993 attack on the World Trade Center; and engage with family, friends, neighbors, and fellow citizens who were affected by the days' tragic events.

Chancellor Arnold Eisen will deliver the sermon at JTS on September 10, and then he and his wife, Dr. Adriane Leveen, will participate in Dorot volunteering on September 11 (registration information below). Chancellor Eisen is writing about 9/11 for The Huffington Post; look for it soon. 

9/11 EVENTS AND RESOURCES AT JTS

 

Reflecting Absence

Prayer (open to the public)

Four tefillot services to remember 9/11 will be held in the Women's League Seminary Synagogue at JTS:

  • Shabbat morning, September 10, 9:30 a.m.: Parashat Ki Tetzei—Chancellor Eisen will deliver the sermon, on the topic of "Remembering 9/11."
  • Monday morning, September 12, 7:10 a.m.: Shaharit (morning) prayer service commemorating 9/11.
  • Monday afternoon, September 12, 3:15 p.m.: Minhah (afternoon) service acknowledging 9/11, followed immediately by a brief interfaith service (from 3:30 to 3:50 p.m.) focused on the theme of reconciliation; Chancellor Eisen will share reflections about 9/11 at this event.

Reflection

"Ten Years After 9/11, A Time for Reflection and Conversation" (Not open to the public) Monday, September 12, 12:15–1:15 p.m. in the Berman Board Room—JTS students, faculty, and staff are invited to share their thoughts, feelings, and reflections. Feel free to bring your lunch; light dessert will be provided. Staff from the JTS Counseling Center will facilitate the conversation.

Gemilut Hasadim (open to the public)

On Sunday, September 11, at 1 p.m., join the JTS Va'ad Gemilut Hasadim: Susan and Jack Rudin Center for Community Outreach, along with the Departments of Student Life and Residence Life, as we prepare sandwiches to be delivered to the Broadway Community Inc. (BCI) soup kitchen. We will meet in the Goldsmith Hall Moadon (537 West 121st Street, at Broadway) to prepare the sandwiches, and then deliver them to the BCI soup kitchen (114th Street and Broadway). Please RSVP to Ruth Decalo if you are able to volunteer.

JTS Interreligious Resources Expanded

"Our Better Angels: Resources for the Commemoration of the 10th Anniversary of 9/11," which includes text, talk, and music, is available online. The resources derive from Our Better Angels, the three late-spring evenings of interreligious discussion and music at historic St. Paul's Chapel (adjacent to Ground Zero). The series was cosponsored by the Louis Finkelstein Institute for Religious and Social Studies of JTS, headed by Rabbi Burton L. Visotzky, and Union Theological Seminary; each evening explored Jewish, Christian, and Muslim traditions on tragedy, mourning, and healing, respectively. Every event concluded with a live musical performance.

JTS Invites You to Participate in a 9/11 National Day of Service on September 11

  • 10:00 a.m.–noon: Join Chancellor Eisen and his wife, Dr. Adriane Leveen, and volunteer with Dorot—the intergenerational volunteer corps that provides food, friendship, housing, wellness, and cultural activities to homebound seniors—for Rosh Hashanah package delivery, sharing memories and hope with elderly recipients. Registration is required for this first-come, first-served volunteer opportunity and ends September 6. Register to volunteer online or by calling (212) 769-2850. All volunteers must bring photo ID in order to participate.
  • 10:00 a.m–2:00 p.m.: Choose a volunteer project through the Jewish Community Center (JCC) of Manhattan, 334 Amsterdam Avenue at 76th Street. Organized community service activities will take place in and outside of the JCC building in remembrance of the events of 9/11. Sign up for these special programs in advance and then choose your project on the morning of the event. Breakfast will be served. Contact Judy Gross for further information and to RSVP: (646) 505-4450.
  • Visit the 9/11 Tribute Movement site and type in your ZIP code to find additional volunteer opportunities in the New York City area and nationally.

 

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