De 10e herdenking van de terroristische aanvallen op 11 september
 

Op zondag 11 september hield de Amerikaanse ambassade in de Kloosterkerk in Den Haag een indrukwekkende interreligieuze herdenkingsbijeenkomst voor de aanslagen van 11 september 2001. Het publiek bestond uit genodigden: leden van de Nederlandse regering, (oud-)politici en veel leden van het diplomatieke korps. Sprekers waren de ambassadeur mevrouw Fay Hartog Levin, premier Mark Rutte, de islamitische theoloog dr. M. Ajouaou, rabbijn ing. Issachar Tal van Kekem van de Open Joodse Gemeente Klal Israël, en de katholieke priester dr. Sjaak ten Boer.

The audience was made up of members of the Dutch government, politicians and

members of the corps diplomatique.

Deputy Chief of the American mission (and incoming ambassador) Ed Nolan

leads the commemoration

Islamic theologian dr.Mohamed Ajouaou

The rabbi & the priest

Front pew: members of the Dutch government,

ambassador Hartog Levin, mr. Daniel Levin

Rabbi ing. Issachar Tal van Kekem of the

Open Jewish Congregation Klal Israel, of Delft

Secretary of Economy Verhagen, Prime Minister Rutte,

ambassador Hartog Levin, mr. Daniel Levin, opposition leader Job Cohen

Catholic priest dr. Sjaak de Boer

The Excelsior Choir with soloists Roberta Alexander and Leon van Liere

Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte

Outgoing US Ambassador Fay Hartog Levin

The short speech delivered by rabbi Issachar Tal van Kekem


The 2937 victims of the 9/11 attacks were united in their deaths, but then commentators came and divided them according to nationality, ethnicity, religion...
I never understood that, because everything that ever divided between them during their lives became null and void when they died.
These victims were not Americans or Frenchmen or Japanese, and they were not Muslims or Christians or Jews: they were grandparents, parents, husbands & wives, children! Everyone of them was a human being just like you and me: they were the neighbours we loved as we love ourselves.

Let us plead for their souls:

God filled with mercy - El maleh rachamim, dwelling in the heavens' heights,
grant everlasting peace beneath the wings of your Divine Presence
to the souls of our beloved and our blameless
who went to their eternal place of rest.
Lord of Creation, may you, who are the source of all compassion,
bind their souls among the living, that their death may inspire us to truly live.

When I saw the Twin Towers collapse I feared, that the end of civilisation had come:
the beginning of the third and final world war, the opening of the hungry mouth of hell...
Ten years have passed and yes: we are at war. We are fighting against the murderous insanity that threatened to take over our world. It may seem we have not won many battles yet, but we are obviously winning the war: the support for terror has declined worldwide, and what’s more: young people everywhere around the globe are expressing a growing belief in freedom, equality and interracial- and interfaith brotherhood. Borders and barriers loose their power and their meaning, and a future with ONE united mankind is beckoning us.

We pray, that the Allmighty God of mankind may bless all nations with wisdom, with patience and with tolerance, so that if not our children then at least our children’s children may live in love, in peace and in security.
Amen!