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BY HILLARY VIDERS
SPECIAL TO NORTHERN VALLEY PRESS
ENGLEWOOD,N.J.-“Even after 17 years, I still cry every day!” Shelley Kane murmured sadly, her eyes brimming with tears.
Kane is one of the Englewood mothers who lost her son when terrorists hijacked American planes and crashed them into the Twin Towers on Sept. 11, 2001.
“Howard was on one of the top floors, in the Windows on the World restaurant where he worked. He called his wife to say that there was a fire in the kitchen, and then the phone suddenly went dead.”
The 9/11 attack was one of the most pivotal events in world history and it changed the political and emotional landscape of America forever. As such, every year, communities throughout the U.S. and abroad mourn the victims and celebrate the heroes of that fateful day.
Eight Englewood residents and family members perished on Sept. 11, 2001, and every year since, the city has paid its respects to them in a solemn ceremony. This year’s service was held at the Englewood Courthouse on Sept. 9. It was attended by local dignitaries including Mayor Frank Huttle III, Council Members Charles Cobb, Wayne Hamer and Katharine Glynn, and City Manager Ed Hynes.
Joining them were several dozen community members, including Olga Mosciaro, a patriotic octogenarian whose father served in World War I.
At the Sept. 9, 2018 memorial service, patriotism was everywhere. The Englewood police and fire departments Honor Guard stood solemnly throughout the proceedings to acknowledge the sacrifice that their New York comrades made that day.
The speakers included noted community religious leaders Rev. Hilary Milton O. Carm, Pastor of St. Cecilia’s Roman Catholic Church, Rabbi Chaim Poupko of Congregation Ahavath Torah and Reverend Sanetta Ponton of the Metro Community Church.
Milton gave the invocation, and then Poupko expressed his gratitude and the gratitude of the Jewish community to the City of Englewood for moving this year’s 9/11 observance up two days to accommodate the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah.
“This sends a very powerful message, that this kind of tolerance and graciousness is exactly what our enemies were trying to destroy,” he said.
During his prayer, Poupko noted, “Like Rosh Hashanah, 9/11 is a time of reflection and renewal.”
Claudia Castano then came to the podium to read the names of the Englewood residents who died in the World Trade Center bombing. As she has done every year, Castano wore a large color photo of her brother Alejandro Castano over her heart. Alejandro was 34 years old when he was killed in the World Trade Center bombing.
“When Alejandro died, he had a 13 year old son. I never bring him to 9/11 memorial ceremonies. It’s too shattering. But, I feel grateful that so many people remember and really care.”
After the Pledge of Allegiance and the National Anthem sung by Devry Pazant, Huttle eloquently paid tribute to the thousands of people who perished on 9/11 in the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and on Flight 93 in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
“We must honor the brave and selfless acts by the heroes of 9/11, the many police, fire, ambulance and other first responders who bravely and selflessly put their lives at risk and in many cases lost those lives in service to us all,” said Huttle.
Huttle mentioned that many of these 10,000 first responders on 9/11 have since been diagnosed with cancer, with more than 2,000 deaths attributed to illnesses from 9/11.
(Note: The fallout from toxic contaminants that were spewed by the collapse of the towers has, in effect, become an increasing concern to the medical community, as reported by the media. Some of these illnesses do not present until decades after the exposure, and more and more incidents of cancer amongst the first responders and people on the site at 9/11 are now being reported.)
Huttle went on to cite a quote that stands at the entrance to the 9/11 museum in Manhattan: “No day shall erase you from the memory of time.”
Huttle then described the five-sided monument that stands in Englewood’s Memorial Park.
“In addition to the inscription of the names of the 9/11 victims from Englewood, a steel beam is perched above the monument that points in the direction of where the World Trade Center once stood.”
The fifth panel is an etching of the Memorial ribbon with the words, “We Shall Never Forget.”
Huttle continued, “Although time has passed and many have been born since that day, it remains our responsibility not only to remember and commemorate that day but also to ensure that we keep that memory alive for each new generation.”
Following these remarks, there was a Posting of the Colors by the Englewood Police and Fire Departments Honor Guard.
Castano’s recitation was followed by Nick Gallucci, of the Performing Arts School at bergenPAC who sang a poignant rendition of “God Bless America.”
To conclude the service, the Honor Guard retired the Colors and Reverend Ponton offered a stirring prayer.
It has been said that 9/11, one of the worst days in America’s history, witnessed some of the bravest acts in America’s history. Englewood’s 9/11 memorial service brought neighbors and friends together to reflect on the tragedy and the courage of those Americans who will never be forgotten.
It is a haunting coincidence that on the eve of the Jewish New Year that began after Englewood’s memorial service, there is a passage in the Rosh Hashanah service that reflects the events and aftermath of 9/11:
“We pause in terror before human deed. The cloud of annihilation, the concentrations for death. But, in the stillness of this hour We find our way from darkness into light.”
The Englewood residents who perished on 9/11:
• Michael S. Baksh, May 18, 1965–Sept. 11, 2001.
• Alejandro Castano, Jan. 28, 1967–Sept. 11, 2001.
• Frank Joseph Doyle, Jan. 29, 1962–Sept. 11, 2001.
• Uhuru G. Houston, Aug. 22, 1969–Sept. 11, 2001.
• Howard L. Kane, May 6, 1961–Sept. 11, 2001.
• Michael Matthew Miller, Nov. 30, 1961–Sept. 11, 2001.
• Frank Bennett Reisman, Nov. 29, 1959–Sept. 11, 2001.
• Alva Cynthia Jeffries Sanchez, April 18, 1960–Sept. 11, 2001.