Three years after the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, Hoboken and its residents are preparing a number of commemorative events to honor those lost.
On and around this Saturday, Sept. 11, hundreds will gather local churches, synagogues and parks to remember.
Families donate church bell
At 8:15 a.m. on Sept. 11, All Saints Episcopal Church at the corner of Seventh and Washington streets will hold a special ceremony where the members of the Sept. 11 Support Group will ring, for the first time, a new church bell. The bell is a gift from the families of the victims to the church for its support since the tragedy.
All Saints has been one of the leaders in helping the families cope with the realities of 9/11. On Oct. 17, 2001, All Saints Episcopal Parish held a public Memorial Service in conjunction with St. Mary’s FAITH Services for victims’ families.
That day, Sandy O’Connor, a World Trade Center widow, attended that service and met Laurie Wurm, a missioner of All Saints. Wurm offered the church’s resources to assist. The pair organized All Saints’ September 11th Support Group.
According to Wurm, there are still 40 group members who meet at least once a month. “This is something that they wanted to give the church in memory of the lives of their loved ones that were lost,” said Wurm. She added that ceremony will last about 30 minutes, and the bell will ring at the moments when each of the planes struck the two towers. The event is open to the public.
Interfaith service
The city has announced that with the aid of the Hoboken Clergy Coalition, it will hold an interfaith service 10 a.m.
The event will take place at Pier A Park and last approximately 30 minutes. The service will include interfaith prayers and readings by members of the Hoboken Clergy Coalition, as well as musical interludes.
The service will take place near the entrance of the park by the memorial flame, which bears the names of those who died on Sept. 11.
“The events of that day are still etched on our minds, and for many, the healing process continues,” said Mayor David Roberts Thursday. “Hoboken lost over 50 of its residents on that horrific day, so it is important for us to join together as a community and reflect together.”
At the synagogue
This year, Sept. 11 coincides with the observance of Slichot, the first worship service of the High Holy Day season. The United Synagogue of Hoboken will hold a ceremony in memory of those who lost their lives on Sept. 11 at 7 p.m. The ceremony will be followed by Slichot services. The event will be held at that synagogue at 115 Park Ave. For more information call (201) 659-4000.
Motorcycle club rides to remember
The Hoboken Motorcycle Club, located on Hoboken Avenue near 18th Street in Jersey City near the Hoboken border, is holding a Day of Remembrance on Sept. 11 from 2 p.m. to 2 a.m. The day will include a memorial pasta dinner that will coincide with the end of a memorial ride that starts in San Diego on Saturday, Sept. 4 and continues up to Sept. 11 at the Hoboken MC Club.
The memorial ride, known as Torches Across America, was started in 2002 by Gary Covert, a motorcycle enthusiast from Branson, Miss. Covert and his wife were visiting Jersey City and New York a few weeks before the Sept. 11 attacks. After the tragedy, Covert, along with other bikers, decided to organize the ride as tribute to the victims and volunteers.
For more information, contact the Hoboken MC Club at (201) 656-9514 or e-mail hobokenmc1@aol.com.
Statewide ceremony a day earlier
A site dedication will be held this Friday, Sept. 10, at 3:30 p.m. at Liberty State Park, where a memorial will be built honoring the 710 New Jersey residents killed in the attacks. This will be followed by a reception with Gov. James McGreevey for the families of those victims.
The memorial will be known as “Empty Sky,” designed by New York architect Frederic Schwartz, whose submission was the winning entry selected among 320 in the nationwide competition sponsored by the state of New Jersey.
“Empty Sky” consists of two stainless steel walls that will stretch 200 feet long and rise 30 feet high, symbols of the fallen Twin Towers. The memorial will be placed at the northeast end of Liberty State Park, in the plaza area near the old CRRNJ Terminal. For more information, call (609) 777-1248.
Work on Hoboken’s 9/11 memorial ongoing
A committee made up of local residents, artists and family members of those who died in the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attack has officially selected the design concept for a permanent memorial.
The memorial for Pier A park on the south waterfront is called “Hoboken Island.” The concept comes from the FLOW Group, which brings together five award-winning professionals from art, architecture, engineering and lighting design.
FLOW proposed a freestanding island that juts off the northwest corner of Pier A. The island will be connected to the pier by a “narrative wall” and a footbridge, according to officials from the 9/11 Memorial Fund. The wall will be inscribed with first-person accounts of Sept. 11, including the experiences of Hoboken observers, volunteers, medical triage personnel, and family members. The words of victims will also appear. In the middle of the island, the designers will put a “tidal well,” or a hole in the island through which people can look at the river. The well will be circled with cast glass containing the names of Hoboken’s victims. At night, the tidal well will be illuminated and visible from lower Manhattan. For information on the design or how to donate, visit the Memorial Fund’s web site www.hoboken911.com or call City Hall at (201) 420-2222.
High school scholarship
Hoboken resident Dan Minutilli has established a permanent scholarship for Hoboken High School students. The World Trade Center Hoboken Memorial Scholarship Fund will go to a students seeking higher education in international business studies. Minutilli’s goal is to raise $20,000 this year.
“In remembering the lives of these important Hoboken residents, the scholarship honors their memories and gives and opportunity to further the potential of today’s students and provide bright futures,” he said.
Anyone interested in donating to the scholarship fund can make donations by check payable to Community Funds, Inc. memo: WTC Hoboken Memorial Scholarship, addressed to The New York Community Trust, 2 Park Ave., New York, NY, 10016.