Today, September 11th, is the anniversary of the worst terror attack on our nation’s soil. Although close to a quarter of a century ago, many of us remember that world-altering morning as if it were yesterday. Aviva and I were living in New Jersey, and I was learning in Yeshiva University at the time and remember the confusion, fear, and sound of fighter jets overhead. All these feelings and sounds paved the way for profound pain, grief, and a torrent of tears. Our neighbor perished, friends lost loved ones, and the world as we knew it changed forever. Today, we remember those who perished in this cowardly act of terrorism. Today, we remember the bravery of our first responders (police, fire, and paramedics) who rushed into the Towers with no thought of their personal safety, armed with selfless dedication for the other. Today we remember the men and women of our armed forces who went overseas and sacrificed everything to protect our freedoms. We owe them our deepest and profound gratitude. On September 11th, we saw the darkest side of humanity, and as the towers fell and the fires burned, we experienced overwhelming unity, hope, and dreams for a better future.
Yesterday, on September 10th, 2025, Charlie Kirk was assassinated. A 31-year-old husband, father of two was shot in the neck in broad daylight on a college campus. We must struggle to understand what has happened to us. The perpetrator will be caught, brought to justice and the narrative will emerge. Our various political factions will undoubtedly use the tragedy to support their agendas and political narratives. Some will say this tragedy occurred because of too little gun control. Others will opine it was because of too much gun control. I’m sure there will be those who will post that somehow this act of murderous bloodshed was a response to ICE round ups, and others will somehow link this to the torrent of illegal aliens entering our country. Before we get lost in the weeds of blame – we must take a step back and ask ourselves, my dear friends, what has happened to our United States of America? This country, which has been so good to us and offers its citizens unparalleled opportunities, has been enveloped by a darkness. Utah Governor, Spencer Cox, captured this feeling, “Nothing I say can unite us a country. Nothing I can say right now can fix what is broken. Nothing I can say can bring back Charlie Kirk.” Like Governor Cox, I don’t have answers, but I beg of our President and all our elected officials to unite us. Please don’t use this heartbreaking moment to drive us further apart. We are always stronger when we stand together. There are major issues which divide us, and there may be irreconcilable views, yet our sacred mission is to figure out how to maintain civility and respect. And perhaps it is up to us, citizens of this great country, to show our leaders what unity looks like, how people of diverse faiths, cultures, races, and political ideologies can come together. I don’t know how to do it – but we must – there is no alternative. We must use this horrific event as an opportunity for national introspection, identify what has gone wrong, and create a strategy to effect societal change. In this season of teshuva, we, the citizens of this great nation, must engage in a national soul-searching if we want to create a different future for our country.
On this September 11th, the United States of America has another broken family - there is a widow who will never again feel the embrace and love of her husband and two precious and innocent little girls who will have to grow up in this difficult world without their father. For the over 3,000 Americans who perished on this day, for the members of our armed forces who risk their lives each and every day to secure our freedoms - we owe it them and their families to show that their sacrifice was and is not in vain.
We need to do better; we need to be better.
