This week the world will remember the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. Those making the pilgrimage back to New York’s Ground Zero will be able to find some solace in a National September 11 Memorial, which will be opened after a decade of debate, planning and construction. Architect Michael Arad’s design for the memorial is called ‘Reflecting Absence’ and consists of two massive square voids in the footprint of the Twin Towers, into which water cascades from all sides. At the bottom of each void is a smaller square opening, through which the water then disappears, as if dropping into an abyss. Set in a plaza, the voids filled with rushing water are ringed by a parapet of bronze panels inscribed with the names of the dead: two thousand, nine hundred and eighty-three names.
*Picture, with more images: HERE
Encounter: Our Better Angels
The 10th anniversary of 9/11 brings to New York City the new memorial at Ground Zero and a deeper commitment by many to make inter-racial and inter-religious dialogue work for Americans and for New Yorkers in particular. A recent public forum - “Our Better Angels” - brought Christian, Jewish and Muslim scholars together to share how trauma, mourning and healing are addressed in their three religions. The forum was more than one of grief and a sense of common tragedy. Like the memorial itself, it became a gathering of new connection and life.