 
Lawrence Man Dedicates Jerusalem 9/11 Memorial
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By Samuel Sokol
Published on Thursday, November 19, 2009 -
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| At the dedication ceremony, Perl and Carmi Schwartz with their granddaughters. |
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A memorial to the over 3,000 victims of Islamic terrorism who perished in the 9/11 attacks has been erected in the Arazim forest outside of Jerusalem. This show of solidarity between the people of Israel and the city of New York was in large part made possible by Carmi Schwartz, a resident of Lawrence.
Schwartz, executor of the Bronka Stavsky Rabin Weintraub estate, funded the memorial’s vast plaza, which includes the names of those fallen as well as amphitheatre-style benches along the periphery.
He explained in a prepared statement, “This poignant memorial on behalf of the victims of 9/11 helps demonstrate the shared commitment of two great democracies that battle terrorism—Israel and the United States. This testament to the solidarity shared by the U.S. and Israel goes beyond lip service to unite these nations and their allies in the global fight against the destructive forces of humanity.”
The memorial was commissioned and built by the Jewish National Fund-USA and features a central sculpture in the shape of a waving American flag transformed into a memorial flame. A small piece of wreckage from the World Trade Center is in a compartment in the granite base. The sculpture itself was paid for with a donation from Edward Blank, also a resident of New York.
The 30-foot high bronze sculpture was designed by award-winning Israeli artist E. Weishoff.
The Jerusalem monument is one of the first major international memorials to the 9/11 attacks and the only site outside of New York to recognize the names of every victim. It can be seen from the main Jerusalem-Tel Aviv highway and is located directly across from the Har Hamenuchot cemetery.
Carmi Schwartz took a few minutes to speak with the 5TJT before the dedication ceremony began. “We are here to participate in the dedication of the Bronka Stavsky Rabin Weintraub plaza and living memorial for victims of 9/11 which in our view constitute probably the most symbolic bonding of the United States of America and the State of Israel because the terrorist act against the United States of America which caused so much national pain in America and personal pain was the culmination of the powerful bonding that Israel and the United States so eagerly require, though the bonding has been strong from the advent of the State of Israel in 1948,” he stated.
Schwartz’s wife, Perl, added, “Carmi and I brought three of our granddaughters with us. The oldest is Rachel, the next Sarah, and [youngest] Tehilla for her bat mitzvah, which was just in June, we treated her and her sisters to a trip here…so she could see what the family was able to accomplish… [It’s] a very special experience for us, and for them in understanding the past, the present and the future.”
Former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who was the mayor of Jerusalem at the time of the attacks, made a surprise appearance at the monument’s unveiling. He used the opportunity to publicly blast the United Nations’ Goldstone report, which accused both Israel and Hamas of war crimes during the Jewish state’s defensive war in Gaza this past December and January. Acknowledging the difficulties inherent in asymmetric warfare, the former prime minister explained there is a fundamental difference between victims of terror and those hurt in the course of anti-terror operations. “When [terrorists] attack, when they commit suicidal attacks, the main purpose is to kill innocent civilians…to create chaos and anarchy. When the fight is against terror…in the course of these actions, sometimes uninvolved people are affected. It is against the desire and against the purpose of these operations.”
Ret. IDF Brig. General Dov Shefi lost his son in the 9/11 attacks. He stated that the memorial dedication ceremony “symbolizes the identification of the State of Israel…with the thousands of families of the victims of September 11 throughout the world, with the United States and with the city of New York.”
Col. Rick Burgess, the American military attaché in Israel, recalled his memories of the 9/11 attacks. Burgess told the 5TJT: “I was serving in Turkey on September 11, 2001, and this [ceremony] brought back a lot of memories, powerful memories in my mind, and sitting here with Jerusalem in the background, it’s just an amazing experience... The United States is always going to stand with Israel. There’re lots of challenges around the world and we’re going to work through all these, and it’s just very meaningful to me to have this opportunity to be here today...Set against the magnificent backdrop of Jerusalem, the living memorial will be a moving place from which to mourn the victims of 9/11 as well as consider the thousands of victims of terrorism worldwide,” said Russell F. Robinson, CEO of the JNF. “Jerusalem is a battleground of civilization but also a place of hope. The memorial is situated in Jerusalem’s green belt; what better place to show that civilization won?”
Both former President Bill Clinton and current Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent letters expressing their solidarity with the victims of terrorism. PM Netanyahu wrote, “As home to three of the world’s major religions, Jerusalem is a fitting home for this memorial—one that not only commemorates the victims of terror, but also reaffirms our commitment to freedom, democracy, and tolerance.” ♦
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