On this September 11, 2014, as I walked around school and went from class to class, there was no mention of that horrible day thirteen years ago. There was no “Where were you when this happened?”  And there was no talk about remembering those who lost their lives due to an extremist group’s scheme to bring down America, the greatest nation on Earth. I’m not sure if this was just my upsetting experience, but I did not hear anyone talk about the attacks in my classes, in the hallways, or at lunch.

On September 11, 2001, the United States was attacked multiple times by al-Qaeda terrorists. This resulted in the collapse of the Twin Towers, the deaths of passengers on Flight 93, the destruction of part of the Pentagon, and the emergency landings of all planes in American airspace. People all around the world watched as the Towers collapsed and nearly three thousand innocent people lost their lives.

Today, with ISIS claiming land and gaining traction in both Iraq and Syria, with al-Qaeda expanding to new countries such as India, and Hamas, Hezbollah, al-Shabaab, and with Boko Haram committing acts of terror throughout the world, we can’t just forget.

Sixty plus years ago, the Holocaust, a brutal genocide of more than six million people, occurred in Europe and Adolf Hitler almost succeeded in conquering most of Europe. As a Jew and as the great-grandson of someone who lost most of his brothers as well as his mother in the Holocaust, I am reminded each year of this horrible event and feel impassioned never to let the world forget.

It is important to honor the souls who lost their lives on this day and remember just how fortunate we are to be living in a land that honors freedom not found in many other places.

Written by Oliver Kornberg’16