Five Towns communities honor 9/11 victims on 25th anniversary
Cedarhurst and Hewlett held memorial ceremonies marking 25 years since the Sept. 11 attacks.
On the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, Five Towns communities gathered for memorial ceremonies. In Cedarhurst, the village held its annual remembrance at Andrew J. Parise Park, with religious leaders, politicians and the Board of Trustees honoring the seven local victims: Thomas Jurgens, 27; Neil Levin, 47; Bettina Browne-Radburn, 49; Joseph Rivelli Jr., 43; Kevin O'Rourke, 44; Howard Selwyn, 47; and Ira Zaslow, 55. The Lawrence High School String Ensemble and Vocal Ensemble performed.
Mayor Benjamin Weinstock said the day carries a solemn duty because a generation has grown up with no personal memory of 9/11. "To them, it's history. For us, it's memory," he said. "That's why we must become the guardians of the truth and teach our children and grandchildren what happened that day." The Board of Trustees read the names from the 9/11 granite markers, and Village Administrator Jacob Plaut tolled the bell after each one.
In Hewlett, Trinity-St. John's Church held an Interfaith Service of Remembrance & Peace at the Chapel of Peace, led by the Rev. Christopher Ballard. Religious leaders from Judaism, Islam, Catholicism, the Baha'i Faith and Hinduism took part. Ballard used a vase of four white flowers to describe how people of different faiths are connected, saying, "We are connected by one stem." The service included the Mourner's Kaddish and "Oseh Shalom."