world >> on the cover Bittersweet Justice Jewish families who lost loved ones on 9-11 reflect on Osama bin Laden's death. Bittersweet from page 1 The Schneider family: Cheryl, Ian and children Jake, Rachel and Sophie, one week before Ian was killed on Sept. 11, 2001 in 1 World Trade Center "I think this shows that calling American efforts a 'war on terror' is using the wrong metaphor. Wars have a starting point and an end point; clearly however, the killing of bin Laden or any terrorist does not end the threat. "It would be better for us to think in the terms that intelligence agencies and law enforcement do. This was a carefully planned operation using intelligence information in a very organized way. Dealing with terrorist threats has become the 'new normal' and we have to deal with the real dangers out there and try not to aid them with missteps of our own." — Frederic S. Pearson, director of the Center for Peace and Conflict Studies at Wayne State University "The Detroit Jewish community is breathing easier this morning, thanks to the brave American forces who attacked Osama bin Laden's hideout yesterday and ended his threat to the world. Bin Laden and Al Qaida placed Jews high on their list of targets. We know this is not the end of the war on terrorism; but it is a significant victory and we celebrate it with all Americans." — Robert Cohen, Executive Director of the Jewish Community Relations Council "When I heard the news, I was very happy and immediately joined conversations on Facebook and Twitter. I also contemplated whether our joy should be measured. Not merely because of the possibility of retaliation at the hand of Al Qaida, but also because one of God's children had died. "In Psalms, we learn God seeks out vengeance and all evil doers will be destroyed. In Proverbs, we read when the wicked perish, there is joy. However, we also limit our joy at the destruction of the Egyptian army in the Exodus narrative. So, I was conflicted." — Rabbi Jason Miller of Congregation T'chiyah in Oak Park 34 May 5 • 2011 Schneider, niece of Bingham Farms philan- thropist Doreen Hermelin, lost her husband Ian that day. He was 45, the father of three children, Rachel, Jake and Sophie (now 20, 19 and 17). Schneider was a successful Wall Street executive who worked at Cantor Fitzgerald on the 104th floor of 1 World Trade Center. "The images of 9-11 are seared into our national memory," Obama said during his tele- vised address. "Hijacked planes cutting through a cloudless September sky; the Twin Towers col- lapsing to the ground; black smoke billowing up from the Pentagon." In an instant, Cheryl Schneider's life, and the lives of thousands of other people, changed forever. Now, bin Laden, the alleged mastermind behind those horrific attacks, is dead. "I'm glad we got him; it was a very long time coming," Schneider said of the Al Qaida leader's killing. "Unfortunately, it's also drudged up that awful day. I'm reliving that terrible day and all the days that came after that; feeling the loss again, feeling the void that's in my heart, not only for me but for my children." Ian was a senior managing director at Cantor Fitzgerald; in all, 658 employees of that firm perished. In memorials, he's described as "a mentsh who coached Little League baseball, soccer, basketball and softball teams and was known for his quick wit and loud, boisterous voice." "I don't believe in the word 'closure, I believe in dealing with the emotions, trying to under- stand them, and moving forward as best I can:' Cheryl continued. "I certainly feel for all of the families that have been impacted, and I have great respect for our military and all of the peo- ple involved in this particular mission. I'm glad we didn't give up. I think it's going to show the world that the United States is very determined. Justice has been achieved. I hope it sends a very strong message' Hermelin says her initial thought when she read published reports about bin Ladin's death was, "Good — they finally caught him!" But the news does not mitigate her concern about terrorism. She believes the nearly decade-long hunt that ended with a firefight at a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, gave the world's fore- most terrorist plenty of time to organize and build a network. "I guess we're all worried about what's going to happen here in the States now," Hermelin said. "He's developed an entire world of people to follow him. We needed to have caught him a long time before this. He's had nine years to spread his terrible poison:' On a personal note, Hermelin points out the historic development will never make her family whole again. "Losing my nephew made a tremendous change in the family:' she said. "This doesn't bring him back, and it doesn't take back all of the terror attacks since then. I'm sure they're all thrilled that they got him. Hopefully, it's not too late. We just don't know:' A Child's Perspective Maya Simon was just 4 months old when she lost both her father and grandfather in the 9-11 attacks. Kenneth Simon, 34, of Secaucus, N.J., was an equities trader for Cantor Fitzgerald. Like Ian Schneider, he also worked on the 104th floor of 1 World Trade Center. Kenneth's father, Arthur, 57, had an office 11 floors below. According to published reports, Kenneth called his wife after the plane hit the tower to say he was going to look for his dad. The two men never made it out. "It's a very hard thing, but my niece teaches me inner strength:' says Linda Miner. She now lives in Texas, but grew up in Metro Detroit and has a brother in Bloomfield Hills. "My hurt is for [Maya] and my sister. They deal with the loss every day of their lives." A tribute to Kenneth recalls his close bond with his infant daughter. "He napped on the couch, cradling her on his chest:' it reads. "He could cook chocolate chip pancakes for a crowd and thrill a small cousin by juggling balls, beanbags and flaming sticks." Maya, now 10, was too young to remember that her parents took her to the South Street Seaport and showed her the spot where they got engaged. That was just days before the terrorist attack wiped out two generations of her family and forced her to grow up without her father. "Being so young, my niece doesn't know any- thing about it except what she reads and what she hears:' Miner says. "She has a friend who was born after her father died. With the news of Osama bin Laden's death, these children say they feel safer now that the 'bad guy' is gone. From a child's perspective, it has given them closure and a sense of security and it's helped ease their pain. It's good news to them that [bin Laden] can't hurt them or anyone else ever again. That's the beauty of being a child in this situation:' U-M Remembers On the University of Michigan campus this week, students paused to remember the 18 Michigan graduates who also lost their lives that fateful day. One was Joshua Rosenthal, a senior vice president of Fiduciary Trust Co. on the 90th floor of 2 World Trade Center. The 44-year-old was raised in Livonia. He graduated from Stevenson High School and U-M, where he was selected as a Truman Scholar. His late mother, Marilynn Rosenthal of Ann Arbor, was a professor at U-M Dearborn. In the wake of her son's death, she spent years researching the man who hijacked the plane that slammed into Josh's building. She even traveled to the United Arab Emirates to meet members of his family. Josh's father, Avram "Skip" Rosenthal, owned a book store in Farmington. He now lives in Israel.