Diplomats, distinguished guests and a delegation of 50 officers from the US, among them those who took part in the rescue events of September 11, 2001, today took part in the annual Kayemet LeIsrael – Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF) and US Embassy in Israel commemoration ceremony in Jerusalem.
The 9/11 Living Memorial is an impressive 30-foot-high bronze sculpture, which was created by the Israeli artist Eliezer Weishoff and KKL-JNF’s landscape architect Yechiel Cohen. It portrays the American flag folded into the shape of a memorial flame and a metal shard from the ruins of the Twin Towers is incorporated into the base of the monument.
It is known as the largest memorial of its kind and the only 9/11 monument that was built outside of New York. The monument includes inscriptions of all the names of those who perished in the 2001 terror attacks.
“There is a deep sense of empathy, of understanding, of friendship between our peoples. This profound connection led us to develop the only 9/11 memorial outside US, here in Jerusalem,” Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat told attendees at the ceremony.
US Ambassador to Israel Daniel Shapiro said the Jerusalem memorial is a “testament to the bond between the American people and the people of Israel.”
“The United States has many friends – quite a few of them represented here by their diplomats – and many of them have also experienced terror and loss,” said Shapiro. “But, perhaps none can identify with our pain more than Israelis.”
“Terror, fear and evil do not distinguish between class, religion or citizenship – we are all as one in confronting them. The events of September 11 are the expression of this pure evil, in the biggest attack of the last century. This place, where we gathered here today, has known a long lasting confrontation between evil and justice. We all share a common destiny and a combined responsibility to fight the war against terror, which often shakes the foundations of culture and society. KKL-JNF is dedicated to the development and preservation of the country, and will ensure that the memory will live on,” said KKL Deputy Chairman Mike Nitzan.
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