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February 10, 2012
Lisa M. Krieger: Man with defibrillator demands access to his own heart's information
David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
February 9, 2012
Laura McMullen: 10 Least Expensive Public Schools for Out-of-State Students
Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
February 7, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Caught off-guard? President's Super Bowl interview with Matt Lauer gives those who need a reason not to vote for him, a darn good one
Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
February 6, 2012
Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
Sept. 11, 2003
/ 14 Elul, 5763
Second thoughts at September 11th
By
Victor J. Wishna
http://www.jewishworldreview.com |
NEW YORK — Second anniversaries can be tricky.
The first time around is unique, almost as special as the event itself. The next time, it isn't that simple. The memory, no matter how indelible, is simply not as fresh as it was just a year ago, and frustratingly so. And when the event is an unprecedented national disaster that contorted the contours of the city's skyline and still drives the government's policies, there are many questions.
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On talk radio, on op-ed pages, on lunch breaks, New Yorkers debate the distinctions. Should a day so dark be anointed a national holiday? Should it be a time to remember our personal vulnerability or celebrate our collective strength? There are discussions of whether the day should even be known as September 11. And if so, can that date ever fairly stand as the anniversary of something else, something joyful - a wedding, a birthday - that came before it? And if not, what should we call it? In the Czech Republic, it is known as "Twin Towers Day." This is little consolation to those who lost family that morning at the Pentagon, or in rural Pennsylvania. 
Unlike last year, New York's communal commemoration is scored with small fissures. There's a very subtle but growing rift here between those for whom the agony remains real, those who lost someone close - a friend, a co-worker, a family member - and the millions of others for whom grief, over time, has dulled to a delicate ache.
Last week, many victims' families planned to protest at the Trade Center site, preparing to gather in "the pit" and block construction equipment with their bodies, to prevent what they saw as encroachment on sacred ground. Only a last-minute decision by the city to close off the area at street level prevented an awkward scene in which the "heroes" of the NYPD would be forced to arrest widows and orphans.
This week, the last of the 343 firefighters lost in the attacks was memorialized when his family buried a finger-sized vial of blood he had donated years ago. His remains, like those of more than a thousand other victims, have never been identified. At the funeral, eulogies reflected on the theme of healing, and moving on, though for some, closure was elusive. "You can always turn the page," one fireman at the funeral told the New York Times, "but you will never close the book."
How can you? Americans are still dying daily in faraway, some say needlessly, some say to prevent "another September 11th." Anti-Semitic conspiracy theories that blame Israel or "the Jews" have only gained momentum, bloating into an entire industry of books, pamphlets, videotapes, and web sites. Constitutional civil rights are being reinterpreted in the name of Homeland Security.
Yet in many ways, attitudes here have relaxed.
Within days of the attacks, New York street vendors began selling "disaster postcards" of burning towers and falling bodies. For months, most locals and even a few tourists who refused to buy the sickening souvenirs saw this profiteering on tragedy as travesty (even as it reaffirmed the country's capitalist spirit). Somehow, these 50-cent photos were tasteless tokens compared to the $50 books of graphic news photos that continue to line the front tables of Barnes & Noble.
In the year following the attacks, the entertainment industry, too confused as to how to respond, largely did not. The first theatrical events in New York to deal with the topic, such as "The Guys," which became a somewhat well-regarded movie, were inspiring but sorrowful stories of loss. Now, in just the next two weeks, three new September 11th-themed plays will open off-Broadway. All are comedies, to some degree, that deal with the disaster from a distance. The most hyped is "Recent Tragic Events," which stars Heather Graham as a young Minneapolis woman who goes on an awkward blind date on September 12, 2001. In an interview, one of the show's producers even referred to the play as "a period piece."
And there's finally a TV movie.
I probably remember September 11, 2001, every day. At least, if I happen to be downtown, or looking downtown, or talking to someone who lives downtown. But once in awhile, however, an unexpected reminder catches me off guard.
At the end of my block, the lamppost is lined with political stickers from campaigns new and old. "Americans for Howard Dean." "Martinez for City Council." "Vote NO! on #9" Many are scratched off or otherwise vandalized. But one remains whole and unscathed: "Every vote counts! Vote Democratic! September 11, 2001." That was the date citizens were going to pick a replacement for Rudy Giuliani, who many New Yorkers at the time were more than ready to be rid of. Whether this bit of memorabilia has been left untouched out of respect or superstition or simple partisanship I don't know. Maybe it's just stuck on there really well.
The confusion of how to react this second time around is okay, probably a little healthy. What matters is not how we commemorate the next anniversary, but how we prepare the next generation to live in the reality of September 11, 2001.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in Washington and in the media consider "must reading." Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
JWR contributor Victor J. Wishna is a New York City-based journalist. Comment by clicking here.
Staging a Comeback
Hip-Hop Mameleh
© 2003, Victor J. Wishna
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