In one of many 9/11 ceremonies across the five boroughs, local residents and politicians gathered at Dry Harbor Playground on Sunday afternoon to honor the 42 people from the Glendale, Ridgewood, Middle Village and Woodhaven who passed away during the September 11 attacks.
The ceremony started with prayers from local church leaders including Rabbi Joel Zdanowitz from the Forest Park Jewish Center and Reverend Philip Hardt, a member of United Methodist of New York.
The prayers served as reminders of what they saw and heard on that day, but also offered healing and comfort to those who lost a loved one.
“If we are not to forget then we must remember,” said Zdanowitz, who blessed the stone monument dedicated to the 42 local residents. “We will continue to build our society based on love and caring.”
After the blessing, local leaders including Gary Giordano, district manager of Community Board 5 and former State Senator Serphin Maltese read the name of each person on the monument. With a bell ringing following each name, Boy Scouts from Troop 427 and Girl Scouts from Troop 4027, both from Sacred Heart Parish in Glendale, laid down a rose for each person in front of the monument, which was unveiled on September 2007.
Politicians from around the area also shared their thoughts on what this day meant to them.
“That was a day that brought out the best in us as Americans,” City Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley (D-Middle Village) said.
Assemblyman Andrew Hevesi (D-Forest Hills) noticed how the community reacted to the tragedy in the days following 9/11.
“I have one observation,” said Hevesi, who asked the crowd to join him in a moment of silence following his short speech. “There is strength in this community.”
Following the ceremony, Vincent Arcuri, chairman of Community Board 5 and the main speaker of the ceremony, remembered the people he knew who died from 9/11.
He remembered Dianne Signer, who was a secretary at Fred Alger Management on the 93rd floor of Tower One. Signer lived in Middle Village and was a good friend of Arcuri’s. She was three months pregnant and was set to get married on September 16, five days after the attacks.
Arcuri said he especially felt bad for the younger people who died because they still had so much of their life to live.
“No one expects to live forever,” said Arcuri as his eyes watered from holding back tears. “No stones could ever replace those losses.”
By Luis Gronda
