Religious groups reflect on Sept. 11, 10 years later

In the lobby of Hillel, a cardboard display is covered with colorful Post-It notes beneath a simple, haunting question: “Where were you on 9/11?”

“We decided to ask that question because on that day, we were at the age that we still remember it,” Hillel President and College senior Josh Belfer explained. “We want people thinking about that day and the feelings they felt afterwards.”

For Belfer, the 10th anniversary of 9/11 “is about remembering the feelings of unity that came out of the unfortunate events … [Hillel] wants to contribute to the school-wide efforts to do that.”

On Sept. 10, the Conservative Jewish Community within Hillel held a “Lunch ‘n Learn” with Sarah Waxman, a teacher from Barrack Hebrew Academy in Bryn Mawr, Pa. Her discussion, entitled “Jewish Responses to 9/11, 10 Years Later,” drew from contemporary and classical Jewish texts to analyze whether Jewish values have strengthened post-9/11.

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The Christian Association at Penn also brought in a speaker to commemorate the day, hosting spiritual activist Shane Claiborne at the event “Jesus, Bombs, and Ice Cream” at World Cafe Live Saturday night.

According to University Chaplain Reverend Chaz Howard, Tabernacle Church and other religious institutions on campus focused their services on the remembrance of 9/11.

In addition, several religious groups on campus — including the Muslim Students Association and Programs in Religion, Interfaith and Spirituality Matters — joined the Undergraduate Assembly, College Republicans, Graduate and Professional Students Association, Penn Democrats, Penn Political Review, the South Asia Society and the United Minorities Council in issuing a joint statement during the 9/11 Memorial Event on Sunday night in the Hall of Flags.

College senior and PRISM Chairwoman Maria Bellantoni said the group “found it best to commemorate this occasion in solidarity with the rest of the University and will not necessarily be having any additional programming on our own.”

Howard led the University in a brief prayer preceding remarks by President Amy Gutmann. “The intent of the event is not for it to be faith-centric, but for it to be an event that has faith present,” he said. “The goal is to commemorate the tragedy, recover and reclaim the day.”

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