11/09/2024
𝗠𝘆 𝟵/𝟭𝟭 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲
When the towers fell, I was a high school senior at M.A.Y.H.S. in South River, NJ. Sitting in my classroom during first period, the principal came on the intercom and declared in a distraught tone, "The Towers have been attacked, and school is closing early." The teacher, my Rebbe, and all of my classmates were shocked by the awful news. We were immediately dismissed from class and directed to board the school bus or phone our parents for a ride home. Walking down the hallway, I noticed students nervous and anxious. I immediately became concerned for my father, who worked for the EPA in New York City. His everyday route consisted of taking NJ TRANSIT at 6 am to the Path Train and arriving at the World Trade Center around 7 am. He would then walk to his office in the EPA building, arriving at 7:30 am, before his supervisor arrived for work. Hurrying into the hallway amid the clamor of anxious students, teachers, and staff, I found a quiet location to call my father's cell phone. Rang, rang, no answer. So I called again and got the same result. Now I'm concerned about his safety, wondering, "Is he okay?" Where is he? I called my mother, who promptly responded with an emotional voice after hearing the terrible news. I asked her if dad had called, and she answered no. I told her Peninah, my sister, and I would be taking the school bus home.
After returning home and a few hours later, my father thankfully contacted the house line and explained what had transpired. He told my family that morning that he received a premonition from my late grandfather to carry a camera to work that day. Perplexed by the warning, he refused to comply, despite having an unsettling gut feeling that something terrible was about to happen. He took his normal commute to work, arriving around 7:30 am. Prior to the first plane hitting the North Tower at 8:46 am, he chose to leave work before 8 am because of his gut feeling something horrible was going to occur that morning. My father rode one of the last working trains in the World Trade Center to the Path Train, then a train back to New Jersey.
I firmly believe my father was saved from the 9/11 tragedy due to divine intervention.
Unfortunately, many were not. According to the 911 Memorial and Museum, 2,977 lives were lost that day including the 2,753 people who perished in New York.
National September 11 Memorial & Museum
On this tragic day in US history, let's remember all the fallen victims, the Twin Towers and what beautiful Lady Liberty stands for 🇺🇸
Where were you on 9/11?
