Our Rabbi's Message
September 11th 2009
By Rabbi Aaron Kriegel9/11 changed America for good. For the first time all America realized that they were prey to evil people. As a people we recognized that we were not perfect. On these shores there were anti-Semites and anti-Blacks. Some people did not like Latinos and others had a prejudice against those from Asian countries. Yet, the process of America made us try to work together, to become friends and neighbors. Progress was slow, but progress was happening. We, however, never realized that there was a population distant from our shores that had no use for all America or Americans. We never realized that people would murder us just because we allowed free speech, freedom of religion and freedom of opportunity. We never realized that religion could be the cause of warfare, at least toward American citizens.
9/11 changed all that. Terrorists who destroyed part of the Pentagon and the World Trade Center made us all vulnerable because we were Americans. We finally understood that those people who spoke about killing Americans meant what they said.
At first we were shocked. We closed the airports and people for a time hardly took busses and subways to work. After the shock came the preparation for war. We designed all kinds of defensive systems to protect us from unknown enemies. And after those defensive measures we began to pull together. We recognized that to be an American meant that one could be black or white, Christian or Jew, Irish or German. We pulled together and became stronger because of that.
Yet, still our hearts ached and we continued to mourn people whose lives were taken for no decent reason; people who died only because others could hate so deeply.
On 9/11 here and in all of Verona and in most of these Untied States we come together as one people to remember the fallen and to give strength to their families. We meet to find the strength in community so that we can be prepared for whatever challenge may come our way.
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