As the world commemorated the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks, Keren Kayemet Le’Israel-Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF), Jewish National Fund-USA (JNF- USA), and US Embassy in Israel held their annual memorial ceremony to honor those who perished in the attacks. The 9/11 Living Memorial Monument is the sole memorial site outside of the United States to include all the names of the 9/11 victims.
Among the attendees were the US Embassy’s Chargé d’Affaires Michael Ratney, Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-JNF Vice Chairman Yair Lootsteen, JNF-USA Chief Israel Officer Eric Michaelson, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, and Jerusalem Deputy Mayor Elisha Peleg.
Due to COVID regulations, the ceremony was kept small, with space reserved for just under 100 participants, including delegations from Israel’s parliament, the Israeli Foreign Ministry, Israel Police, JNF-USA and Nefesh B’Nefesh.
The 9/11 Living Memorial was first established in 2009 by KKL-JNF and JNF-USA. The 30-foot-high bronze sculpture was created by the Israeli artist Eliezer Weishoff and KKL-JNFs’ landscape architect Yechiel Cohen. It portrays the American flag folded into the shape of a memorial flame. A metal shard from the ruins of the twin towers is incorporated into the base of the monument, which overlooks a magnificent vista of the Jerusalem Hills and the Arazim Valley.