Cedarhurst marks 25th anniversary of Sept. 11 attacks
Annual memorial at Andrew J. Parise Park honors seven local victims and first responders.
Cedarhurst residents gathered at Andrew J. Parise Park on Friday for the village's annual 9/11 memorial ceremony, marking 25 years since the terrorist attacks. The event brought together village officials, clergy, first responders and family members to remember the seven local residents killed that day: Thomas Jurgens, Neil Levin, Bettina Browne-Radburn, Joseph Rivelli Jr., Kevin O'Rourke, Howard Selwyn and Ira Zaslow.
Mayor Benjamin Weinstock said the annual commemoration matters because a generation has grown up without personal memory of the attacks. "We have an entire generation since who've grown up with no personal memory of 9/11," he said. "To them, it's history; for us, it's memory." Rabbi Pinchas Chatzinoff of Congregation Tifereth Zvi echoed that, noting that for those who lost loved ones, "25 years can feel like 25 minutes."
Patricia O'Rourke O'Keefe, sister of FDNY firefighter Kevin O'Rourke, read a poem she wrote for his funeral and urged unity. "Remember the patriotism that stretched across our land?" she said. "So, let's put aside our differences, put aside our hate." Chatzinoff also linked the anniversary to Rosh Hashanah, which began at sunset that day.