Missing in Action, on what would seem to have been an ordinary Tuesday morning in September, stopping for that morning cup of coffee, taking the elevator up to the heights of the World Trade Center, or walking by on the way to another destination.
Five thousand missing in action, their pictures and biographies posted, hanging on the front and backs of desperate relatives looking for next of kin in hospitals and rescue shelters. Fathers, daughters, fiances, best friends, traders, sports administrators, chefs, expecting mothers, planning weddings, hoping for promotions. Hundreds of desperate cell phone calls made at the last minute to say it didn't look good. Just want to tell you I love you." The wife, who left her cell phone at home only to get the message, "I am calling to say goodbye."
And underneath them all the brave men and women of the fire and police departments who rushed to save the trapped, themselves now buried after the World Trace Center collapsed. 5000 missing, thousands more grieving, whole industries wiped out, the symbol of our stature and might--200,000 tons of steel, 425,000 cubic yards of concrete, 14 acres of glass pane windows--toppled to the ground. And an end to America's innocence, to complacency, to unrestricted freedoms--a different America, changed forever by a handful of terrorists.
The dead and the grieving families deserve our support and prayers. And we are here to mourn their loss. The firefighters and policeman who gave their lives deserve are devotion. They have become our heroes. And those thousands of volunteers who are still at ground zero deserve our undying gratitude.
And we can only marvel at how the stranger next door shed his differences, prejudices and personal interests to pickup a shovel, a pail, a meal to help in the rescue, as the rest of us light candles, clasp hands, and create vigils to express our shared pain and our common bonds. We have become each of us a strand, united together in this special havdala candle, wax intertwined, wicks glowing with hope.
Some of you who are here have lost loved ones. Some of you were there when the events unfolded, telling your own stories of near miss, of stifling smoke, or stairs walked up and down, not knowing when and if you would get home. Others of you are here because you have come to appreciate your life in ways unimaginable last Monday and want to thank G-d that you were spared.
All of us are here to support each other because this is what we do best. The missing is still alive in the stories you tell and our bravest become martyrs by the actions they have taken. And we do not wish to feel helpless and alone.
And so we pray together this evening that G-d have mercy on the souls of our brothers and sisters who have now gone to their eternal home. May G-d give courage to those still trying to save others. And may G-d provide wisdom to our leaders to make the right decisions that would forever put an end to terrorism in our backyard and in the world over.
Amen