Early Morning Horror

September 12, 2001-Fifteen Hours of Separation

We have noisy neighbors. At midnight we called building security to ask them to quiet down. Security asked if we were watching the tellie. We reminded them we were trying to sleep. He told us a plane just flew into one of the towers of the Trade Center in New York. We switched on the news and saw the second plane hit. It’s now 2:05 AM and we’re glued to the screen. We’re frustrated because we’re so far away. We’ve tried reaching our kids at all the numbers we have for them but were frustrated in our attempts. We got either no answer or busy signals. We have relatives and friends who work in downtown New York and Washington, DC. If any of you have information about their well-being, please let us know.

September 13, 2001- Pearl Harbor Again?

Thank you all who have responded to my questions about friends and relatives. We finally spoke to all the kids. We’re still very unsettled. As we crawled back into bed at 3 AM, I said to David that it seems like WW III is starting and we’re literally “on the beach” in Australia. Some of you are old enough to remember that movie. I told Daniel to sell his house and ours, liquidate our assets, and come here. I don’t think he took me seriously. I guess no one is safe anywhere. We got a call from a congregant here. His daughter is stuck in Canada. He’s a past president of the congregation and his daughter asked him not to take her daughter, his granddaughter, to Rosh Hashanah services. He not only agreed, but he suggested that services be canceled altogether.

The Muslim population here is very large and the Jewish population is minuscule. I think there are only 100,000 Jews out of a population of 2.5 million in the entire country. The Arab population is about 5-6%. It sickens me to hear about Muslim students around the world dancing in the streets.

I’ve been choked up since I heard the news and was finally able to cry after reading this message from the president of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations.

Statement by Rabbi Eric H. Yoffie President, Union of American Hebrew Congregations September 11, 2001:

The Union of American Hebrew Congregations mourns with America. We extend our profound sympathies to the families and friends of those who have been devastated by these despicable acts of murder. We offer our thanks to the thousands of police officers, firefighters, and paramedics who have risked their lives to save others. This is a time for coming together as a country, and to support the President and our government as they seek to offer comfort to the bereaved, repair the damage, and find those responsible. The Jewish community is especially sensitive to the scourge of terror. The intentional and indiscriminate killing of innocent human beings is an act of ultimate evil, a profound offense against God and humanity for which there can never be a rationale or justification. We know that the government will do everything within its power to locate the perpetrators of these acts and to hold them accountable. At the same time, we urge all Americans not to form opinions until all facts are known, and to avoid blaming any group for the actions of individuals. After today, we know our lives in America will never be the same. In ways large and small, our world has irreparably changed. But we believe too in the resiliency of the American people, and that we will not permit these horrific acts of terror to dictate the character of American society. Our tradition teaches us the reality of evil but reminds us of our ability to overcome evil, to affirm hope, and to achieve healing.

David is at the temple. I have written to you about our extra security precautions for the holidays. Well, I guess even paranoids have enemies.

Toby