It’s been 15 years since the terrorist attacks that killed nearly 3,000 civilians. On Sept. 11, 2016, Weehawken residents, politicians, and municipal departments gathered at the township’s official 9/11 Memorial in an interfaith prayer service.
“It’s a very solemn day, and many of you were here 15 years ago,” said Weehawken Mayor Richard Turner, standing before two of the 13 tridents from the original World Trade Center, now a permanent part of the memorial that opened on the attack’s 10th anniversary. “Unfortunately, it is our 15th observation, due to the horrific events that took place that day.”
Surrounding him were members of the Weehawken Police, Port Authority Police, North Hudson Regional Fire and Weehawken Volunteer EMS.
“As we all know, the first plane hit at 8:46 am; the second plane hit at 9:03 am,” he said. “And that’s when the whole world realized that this was not an accident; this was an act of terrorism.”
The ceremony concluded with Turner reciting the names of Weehawken residents who died in the 9/11 attacks: Robert Vicario, 40, contractor; Juan Pablo Alvarez Cisneros, 23, broker at Cantor Fitzgerald;
Eric Brian Evans, 31, insurance manager; Christopher Stuart Gray, 32, broker at Cantor Fitzgerald, and
Peter Klein, 35, consultant.
Prayers and memories
North Hudson Regional Firefighter Philip Jawny and resident Katelyn Spinosa-Perri led the crowd in reciting the Pledge Of Allegiance and singing the Star-Spangled Banner. Then, Turner introduced local officials and leading clergy men and women who gave their prayers for the victims.
“We have feared the terror of the night, we have seen the sacrifices of the brave, we have cried the tears of the lost, we have clenched our fists and raged against the pain of damage,” said Monsignor Robert Meyer of Weehawken’s Saint Lawrence Church. “Now we gather in your [God’s] presence to behold, and to walk humbly with you, our God, as the years unfold.”
“For those who we lost 15 years ago at Ground Zero, we’ll never forget you after 15 years or a hundred years,” said Eman Mohamed Moussa, of the North Hudson Islamic Educational Center. “For the families, we are all with you. The Almighty Creator showers the souls of those we lost on September 11th. Almighty Creator, bless and protect our fellow Americans.”
Moussa also quoted a Quaranic verse for the moment in Arabic.
Good Shepard Lutheran Church Pastor Birgit Solano shared “The Little Chapel That Stood,” a kids book recounting how St. Paul’s Chapel, located less than 100 yards from the towers, survived the attack.
“For all these children, this is already history,” Solano said. “By now, we have a beautiful children’s book which tells the story [of 9/11], because you have to tell the story to the children, and to the young people who [had] not been there and only know it from hearsay.”
She urged the crowd to purchase and give the books to their kids and grandkids before leading a prayer for “the strength and the love and the wisdom to remember.”
“We are spending a beautiful evening, and we think about that day, but what else can we do besides coming together for a memorial service and thinking of what happened and shaking our heads and saying, ‘Hopefully this doesn’t happen again.?’” asked Moshe Shapiro, a rabbi at the Hoboken Chabad.
“We can do more. We average citizens, the regular person, can do something. What we are facing in our time is the epic battle between the forces of darkness and the forces of light. Every time we do a good deed, we’re introducing so much light into the world.”
Shapiro ended by sounding his shofar, a ram’s horn used by Jewish people during the upcoming Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year. He used the instrument as a plea to God to “end the darkness in the world.”
Hannington Dia may be emailed at editorial@hudsonreporter.com.