JERUSALEM (JTA) — The 10th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States was commemorated throughout the world, including in Israel.
In an Op-Ed published in newspapers around the world on Sunday, President Obama wrote that " 9/11 was not only an attack on the United States, it was an attack on the world and on the humanity and hopes that we share."
"We remember that among the nearly 3,000 innocent people lost that day were hundreds of citizens from more than 90 nations. They were men and women, young and old, of many races and faiths. On this solemn anniversary we join with their families and nations in honoring their memory.
"Those who attacked us on 9/11 wanted to drive a wedge between the United States and the world. They failed.
"On this 10th anniversary, we are united with our friends and partners in remembering all those we have lost in this struggle. In their memory, we reaffirm the spirit of partnership and mutual respect that we need to realize a world where all people live in dignity, freedom and peace," Obama concluded.
In New York and Washington, D.C., security forces were set to be on high alert Sunday in the wake of warnings that al-Qaida might try to stage an attack.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, at the start of Sunday’s weekly Cabinet meeting, said, "Today we mark exactly one decade since that monumental terrorist attack in which almost 3,000 innocent civilians of various nationalities were murdered in New York and Washington. That al-Qaida attack on the U.S. marked the peak of a wave of terrorist attacks, which nevertheless continued in Madrid, London, Bali and Mumbai.
"We are in this struggle, the struggle against terrorism, and while there is no doubt that this is terrorism, it is a tool of war. This is not a conventional war. This is a war of terrorism — by the forces and regimes of radical Islam. Radical Islam threatens moderate Islamic and Arab regimes. It threatens the very existence of the State of Israel and in its linking up with radical regimes, it brings the tools of terrorism — rockets and missiles — to Israeli civilians."
Five Israelis were among the 2,998 victims of the 9/11 attacks.
A ceremony commemorating the 9/11 attacks was held at the Jewish National Fund memorial in Jerusalem. The memorial lists the names of all the victims of the attacks and their countries of origin.
Meanwhile, a 9/11 website was launched with more than 100 High Holidays sermons dealing with the tragedy delivered by rabbis from throughout North America The website is part of the Torah From Terror project. The sermons were collected in 2001 by Rabbis Neil Gillman and Jason Miller.
“Most rabbis had already written their Rosh HaShanah sermons by 9/11,” said Miller, the spiritual leader of Congregation T’chiyah in Oak Park, Mich. “They quickly put those aside and began the process of creating new sermons that would address what no one could articulate. So many rabbis rose to the occasion, presenting words of comfort and consolation, words culled from the pages of our Torah.”
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