9/11 Victims

A 9/11 remembrance by Keshet Berlinsky Edry, Shlicha I was very young when 9/11 happened – only seven years old. I wasn’t one of the people watching the Twin Towers go down on television. I only learned the meaning of that awful day after getting to know Miriam, or as my mother calls her, Mother Miriam. My mother was a holistic medicine therapist, and one day Miriam called to book an appointment for one of her sisters. After a while, she came herself, and in that meeting, she and my mother bonded, and Miriam shared the story of her daughter, Alona Abraham. Alona, the eldest of Miriam’s three children, was a successful, educated woman who worked for a high-tech company in Israel. She excelled in everything she did. In September 2001, Alona went to visit her family in America. On Sept. 11, She boarded United Airlines Flight 175 from Boston to Los Angeles. It was the second plane to hit the Twin Towers. After six years, the remains of Alona's body were to Ashdod for burial. My mom and Miriam made such a strong connection that she started calling Miriam “mom” and with that, I became her family as well. Every year, we join the family at a memorial service for the 9/11 attacks. When I was in New York, I made sure to go to the 9/11 Memorial and pay my respects to Alona. This year, it’s strange to me not to be with them on this day. So, I want you to know the story of Alona, an amazing woman and a wonderful daughter, one of the four Israeli victims of the attack. May her memory be a blessing. ברוך זכרה יהי.