62 | SEPTEMBER 9 • 2021 

Looking Back

From the William Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish Detroit History

accessible at www.djnfoundation.org

Remembering 9-11
T

his week, I do not 
believe I could write 
about any historic event 
other than the terrorism that 
occurred two decades ago on 
Sept. 11, 2001. Images of ter-
rorist-comman-
deered airliners 
crashing into the 
twin towers of 
the World Trade 
Center in New 
York City are 
seared into the 
memories of all 
but the youngest of us alive at 
the time. It was one of those 
monumental events that we 
can recall with precision just 
where we were when we heard 
or watched the news, and the 
emotions we felt.
Nearly 3,000 Americans died 
from this terrorism. Moreover, 
when considering the exposure 
of so many people to the result-
ing toxic storm of debris, still 
more deaths related to 9-11 are 
occurring today; among survi-
vors of the initial devastation 
and among first responders 
who selflessly went into the fray. 
The impact upon Metro 
Detroiters and Michiganders 
was profound. One only needs 
to read the September and 
October 2001 issues of the 
JN in the William Davidson 
Digital Archive of Jewish 
Detroit History to know that 
this is not an overstatement. 
Begin with the thoughtful 
essays by JN Editor Robert 
Sklar: “
Answering the Madness” 
(Sept. 14, 2001) and “Rallying 
Together” (Sept. 21, 2001). Or 
read “Local Reaction” (Sept. 14, 
2001), which presents the feel-

ings of local Jewish Detroiters 
including reactions from 
young Jews like 11th-grader 
Adam Horowitz who said he 
cried when he saw the World 
Trade Center towers collapse: 
“I realize how fortunate we are 
to be safe here [in Detroit].
” 
Ilana Goldberg, also in the 
11th grade, said, “This was just 
shocking for our generation.
” 
Indeed, it was.
Jewish Detroiters soon ral-
lied. For example, “Lending 
Helping Hands” by Ronelle 
Grier discusses local area pro-
fessionals who rushed to New 
York City. Oakland County 
Sheriff Michael Bouchard and 
a team of deputies did so; their 
pilot was Stuart Rich. Social 
worker Kay Tulupman helped 
survivors cope with the trau-
ma. Adam Gottlieb, Richard 
Lavine and Alan Jacobson were 
among the emergency workers 
who answered the call for help. 
These are just a few of the many 

that made the trip to NYC.
Other reports note the funds 
raised for the victims by the 
community. Advertisements in 
the JN show special events were 
held and businesses donated 
profits. Danny Raskin wrote 
about donations from kosher 
caterer Jeffrey Rosenberg, 
the MarioMax Salon and the 
Kosher Chinese All-You-Can 
Eat Dinner at Adat Shalom, 
among others. He concluded: 
“How very proud we all are 
of these and so many others 
in coming forth in the recent 
tragedies is far, far beyond any 
word” (Oct. 5, 2001).
One of the most interesting 
stories is “Mission of Emotion” 
(Sept. 21, 2001) by JN Staff 
writer Harry Kirsbaum, who 
was on assignment in Israel 
with a group of 81 Detroiters on 
a United Jewish Communities 
Mission. When the twin 
towers fell, all flights to the 
U.S. were canceled, and the 
group was temporarily strand-
ed. They watched the event 
unfold with their Israeli hosts. 
Senior Advisor to the Board 
of the Detroit Jewish News 
Foundation, Mark Davidoff, 
who was on the mission, said 
of the Israelis and Detroiters: 
“You could see how the group 
was coalescing around our own 
tragedy.
” You can read their 
remembrances in today’s JN on 
page 14.
9-11 was a historic American 
tragedy. May we never see 
another. 

Want to learn more? Go to the DJN 
Foundation archives, available for 
free at www.djnfoundation.org.

Mike Smith
Alene and 
Graham Landau 
Archivist Chair

