Honoring the memory of the 9/11 victims at the Living Memorial site in Jerusalem
As the world commemorated seventeen 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 was US Ambassador to Israel, H.E. Daniel Friedman;KKL-JNF Vice Chairman, Mr. Yair Lootsteen; Member of Knesset Nachman Shai, 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.
US Ambassador to Israel, David Friedman: “In this beautiful plaza, at this inspiring location, we remind the families of those lost and we confirm to people everywhere, that we stand together – Americans and Israelis – and that together we continue to heal and to build, in a spirit of solidarity and commitment to the future.”
KKL-JNF Vice Chairman, Yair Lootsteen:“This monument holds with it a commitment to all the victims, survivors and their families. It is a commitment to plant and grow, in a place where some wished to disrupt, uproot and tear apart. Here we choose, each year, to take an oath in the name of those who have lost their lives – to do all we can to build a better future for the next generations.”
JNF-USA Chief Israel Officer, Eric Michaelson:“Jewish National Fund-USA is the human link between the people of the United States and Israel, through which the supporters of Israel in America can partake in its’ growth and success. The 9/11 Living Memorial stands as a bright beacon of the shared values and brotherhood of both our nations; as we look past even the darkest times and remain standing together, giving each other the strength to continue building a better world for the future.”
