Remembering 9/11 for New Yorkers
Treating this land as though nothing happened here would be akin to say building a Wal-Mart at Gettysburg. Lest we forget, close to over 400 uniformed rescue personnel lost their lives while performing the most successful rescue operation in United States history leading over 25,000 people to safety. (Why the Gettysburg battlefield has been designated a National Park while the former World Trade Center [WTC] site remains a gaping hole in the ground and ashes containing human remains lie in a garbage dump ironically named Fresh Kills lies beyond my comprehension.)
Family members, survivors, rescue workers, friends and visitors pilgrimage to this site to morn, pray, and reflect, leaving behind candles, flowers, teddy bears and personal mementos such as mass cards, photographs of loved ones that died on 9/11 and handwritten notes. Since a memorial has yet to be built at Ground Zero, visitors also pay their respects at the FDNY 9/11 Memorial Sculpture located next to Tenhouse on 124 Liberty Street, St. Josephs Chapels 9/11 tribute to the rescue workers at 385 South Street, and the NYPD police memorial in Battery Park.
Obviously, we will never forget 9/11 and we will always in our own ways memorialize that event and the lives lost on that day, but can we declare a moratorium on making 9/11 memorable, manageable and marketable? For example, when political pundits such as Coulter use this tragedy to raise their profile and pocketbooks, they should be chided as being nothing more than shysters, modern day snake oil salesmen if you will. While she slings repeated insults at a group of 9/11 widows, who dared to question the Bush administration and decided to campaign for Kerry, Coulter failed to question why Republican darling Lisa Beamer trademarked her husband’s famous Let’s Roll cheer or why certain 9/11 family members endorsed Bush’s re-election bid.
Also, she never critiques the Republican politicos, who are dictating the policies regarding the construction of the WTC Memorial and the Freedom Tower, a project which by all accounts has been an unmitigated disaster. Believe it or not, these compassionate conservatives have refused repeated offers to employ readily available technology to identify recently discovered body parts inside of Deutsche Bank building. Also, once again, they chose to circumvent New York City building codes, thus laying the groundwork for yet another significant loss of lives should this 16-acre site be subjected to third terrorist attack.
But instead of calling for a nonpartisan in-depth investigation into the myriad of post 9/11 scams and other misuses of millions of dollars targeted for post 9/11 recovery programs, Coulter chooses to engage in yet another case of partisan pandering.
Clearly Coulter is not alone in her profiting from this tragedy. In addition to the aforementioned scams, a few lost souls continue to circle the globe re-telling the story of their heroics during the 9/11 recovery efforts, as they try to drum up support for whatever book, CD/DVD, nefarious nonprofit, or other self-promotional product theyre selling. (For an authentic account of the religious response to 9/11 stories pick up Fr. James Martin’s book Searching for God at Ground Zero, the one true gem I found buried in the the mound of post 9/11 merchandising. Also, Diana Buter Bass’ book “Broken We Kneel” offers some excellent reflections on what it means to be an American and a Christian in a post 9/11 world.)
Instead of buying into their junk or worse purchasing FDNY and NYPD gear from illegal street vendors, check out the New York City Fire Museum (278 Spring Street) or the New York City Police Museum (100 Old Slip). Also, some individual firehouses have set up websites where they offer merchandise for sale where the proceeds will go to support various worthwhile charities. (Go to www.fdnytenhouse.com/fdnylinks.html for a listing of all FDNY firehouses with websites or log on to www.artaid.org for a display of post 9/11 healing art.)
If you want to contribute to a meaningful 9/11 tribute, go to Where-To-Turn (www.where-to-turn.org). Youll see be surprised at all the good a small grassroots group can do when they are ignited by the fires of love and compassion.
When I reflect on how to remember 9/11, the first year anniversary of Katrina hits me right between the eyes. I lived in Louisiana for four years as a pre-teen and my heart breaks to see this area still looking like hell on earth one year later. Once again, while the bureaucrats sit and twiddle their thumbs (or worse) fortunately, the religious community sprung into action and once again, became the church. Also, some groups formed in the aftermath of 9/11 continue to connect with humility not hubris by reaching out to victims of other disasters, including the devastation caused in the Gulf Coast by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the Oklahoma City bombings, the tsunami disaster, and the 2005 terrorist attack in London.
I gotta wonder though why in the heck it seems to take a large scale disaster for the church to kick some spiritual hiney and put into practice the words of Swiss theologian Emil Brunner: “The Church exists by mission, just as a fire exists by burning. Where there is no mission, there is no church.” But once the immediate needs of a disaster have passed, by and large the institutional church tends to take a dirt nap instead of following in the footsteps of the resurrected Christ. While the religious community rushed to Ground Zero in droves once the towers fell, why are they silent now that these same rescue workers they served now face a plethora of 9/11 related illnesses that have already resulted in several dozen deaths?
Granted there are notable exceptions such as Trinity Church, Wall Street’s dynamic and transformative reconciliation ministry. Having said that, I pray for the day when St. Paul’s Chapel can cease being a memorabilia museum/post 9/11 gift shop. (Heck, they even have on display a chasuble decorated with FDNY/NYPD patches and a chalice crafted out of WTC steel on display instead of being used in a Eucharistic setting.) Maybe someday God willing, this house of worship can revert back to being – oh I dunno – a church perhaps. On Pentecost Sunday, St. Paul’s Chapel exploded with the Holy Spirit when HipHopEMass rocked the house and they sent a group over to the UK to experience Greenbelt 2006, an international Christian music and arts festival. So, I pray for future opportunities for such dynamic ministries come alive inside this historic chapel where George Washington and other heroes of the Revolutionary War once worshiped.
Speaking of military leaders, I cannot reflect on this anniversary without the memories of those lost fighting the war in Iraq coming to mind. Yes, we can and should question our reasons for having a military presence on the ground of any foreign sovereign nation. (After all, even the Pope quite praying over the pedophile priest scandal long enough to condemn this whole durn mess the US has gotten into once again.)
As I note in my book “Red and Blue God, Black and Blue Church,” for many individuals throughout the world, September 11, 2001, represented one of those singular moments in history when religious communities became unfrozen and new possibilities for community were able to emerge. Every time a group of us serves in a Salvation Army canteen at a fire, FDNY or NYPD funeral, disaster drill, or some other event, I feel we are able to somehow respond to the firefighters and police officers in the spirit of radical hospitality that was started at 9/11.
Immediately after the towers fell, people of all faiths throughout the world practiced radical hospitality as we laid down our weapons and opened up our hearts. By being totally present, we were able to respond to the needs of the rescue workers and those who lost loved ones without advancing our own religious and political agendas. Unfortunately, the never-ending quest for turf prevented a sitewide community from ever taking shape. But still, I know I caught a glimpse of heaven here on earth. I saw the church operating horizontally, as laity and clergy worked side by side, each contributing their individual talents toward a common goal.
Think for a moment what New York City and the world would be like if we could all follow those who chose self-sacrificial love for the other over promoting their own self-interests? In todays cynical Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? world, as Americans frolic on Temptation Island in their quest to be the ultimate Survivor, I, for one, am grateful there are those individuals, like the firefighters, police officers, and soldiers, who still put the teachings of Christ into practice. Just as he laid down his life for us and we ought to lay down our lives for one another. (1 John 2:16) I pray for the day when we all can do likewise.
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Following is a listing of select activities that are taking place in the New York City area to commemorate the 5th anniversary of 9/11. Passing this along to anyone who is in the area and would like to participate.
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6
Lessons Forgotten: Survivors Bear Witness
The Simon Wiesenthal Center and the World Trade Center Survivors Network are proud to announce a groundbreaking panel discussion commemorating the Fifth Anniversary of the World Trade Center Disaster. Panelists will include survivors of the Holocaust, the September 11th Attacks, Rwanda, The 1995 Oklahoma City Bombing, and Darfur. The goal of this discussion is to bring attention to the devastating effects of intolerance, whether manifested in wars or single acts of terrorism, and explore common themes in the survivor experience.
New York Tolerance Center
226 East 42 St.,NYC
Time: 5:30pm
RSVP 212-370-0320, ext 12 or email csorscher@swcny.com
Space is limited.
For more events sponsored by the WTC Survivor’s Network, log on to http://survivorsnet.org.
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 9
WTC Families for a Proper Burial Rally
Time: 11:15am
Place: WTC site, exact location to be announced
Please wear purple and black if you can…a shirt, bandanna, hat, anything to show our solidarity. We will provide purple and black ribbons for us all to wear throughout the weekend to raise awareness of the gross indignity against our beloved dead. If you have any questions, please email Diane Horning at WTCFamiliesforProperBurial@comcast.net
Additional information about this organization can be found at http://www.wtcfamiliesforproperburial.com
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 10
Mychal Judge Walk
Time 8:00am
Mass at St. Francis of Assisi Church (135 W. 31st. Street) followed by the walk to Ground Zero stopping at firehouse along the route.
See attached flyer for additional information or go to http://www.firefamilytransport.org.
Interfaith Memorial Service
The Church of St. Paul and St. Andrew
West 86th Street and West End Avenue
7:00pm-8:15pm
See attached flyer for additional information.
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 11
100 Years of Non-Violence: Gandhi and September 11, 1906-2006
The fifth anniversary of 9/11 coincides with the 100th anniversary of the start of Gandhi’s ministry. To commemorate this event, the NYC Dept. of Peace will be offering a screenings of the movie Gandhi and other events. For more info. log on to http://www.nyc-dop.com/gandhi.
9/11 Unity Walk
Time:5:00pm (Walk begins at 5:30pm)
Meet at the Gandhi statue at Union Square Park and walk to the WTC stopping at various places of worship.
See the attached flyer for additional information on this year’s walk in New York City. Log on to www.911unitywalk.org for a history of this walk, which began last year in Washington, DC and has now grown to include walks this year in New York City NYC,Pittsburgh, London,Islamabad, Istanbul, New Delhi and Amman, as well as a student movement on 500 universities.
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 21
International Day of Peace
In 2001, the United Nations General Assembly unanimously adopted resolution (A/RES/55/282) designating September 21st of each year as an International Day of Peace (IDP).Those wishing to commemorate this day are invited to participate in the IDP peace vigil can log on to www.idpvigil.com for more information. While this event is not specifcially 9/11 releated, the original day for the IDP was 9/11/01.
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 24
Tunnel to Towers Run
A truly awe inspiring run/walk where participants follow the footsteps of an American Hero Firefighter Stephen Siller, who, on September 11th 2001, ran through the Brooklyn/Battery Tunnel to the Twin Towers where he laid down his life for others. There is also a pre-race mass and pasta buffet on Saturday September 23rd and a block party after the race. Proceeds go to support the construction of an Foundling Hospital orphanage on Staten Island in Stephen’s name and other worthy causes. For applications and additional information log onto www.tunneltotowersrun.org.
A full listing of 9/11 activities being planned by World Cares for the week of September 11th can be found at http://www.worldcares.org/events/forumschedule.shtml.
Families for Peaceful Tomorrows is sponsoring a conference the week of September 11th. Log on to http://www.peacefultomorrows.org for additional information.
Also, check out MyGooddeed.org for a list of suggestions for how to honor those lost on 9/11 through volunteer service.
For more information on other 9/11 activities, check out www.where-to-turn.org.
