High School Gathers to Commemorate 9/11

by Rebecca Bazini, SSLI '26

This morning, a special minyan service was held in the gym in order to commemorate the 24th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. Accompanying the Torah service was a student-controlled slideshow featuring poems relating to the day.

“A lot of the ways we memorialize events like these are through prayer,” remarked senior Micah Bidner. 

The service ended with Micah’s stepmother, guest speaker Allison Bidner, sharing the life story of Arlene Fried, Ms. Bidner's mother and a victim of the tragedy.

Micah B. introduced Ms. Allison Bidner at today's 9/11 memorial service. (M. Resnick)

Arlene Fried, grandmother to Ava (Class of 2037), Micah (Class of 2026), Talia (Class of 2023), and Shoshana (Class of 2021), was born to Hungarian Holocaust survivors in Queens. She raised her family in Roslyn, NY, before going to law school at Columbia and then working to legally represent foster kids. After that, she became a leading member of Cantor Fitzgerald, serving as the assistant general counsel—and the only woman—in the legal department. Her office was on the 104th floor of the North Tower.

Telling Arlene's story means both keeping her memory cherished and calling the students to stand together against these acts of violence. “I like hearing their stories to keep their memory alive,” said senior Emma Roth. “You know the truth is that we can never forget,” remarked Micah Bidner. “We can never forget what happens when we let hate take over. We can never forget what happens when we let terrorists take over. And I think that that rings so true today.”

Teachers were also touched by the service. English teacher Ms. Kassell said, “It was incredibly heartbreaking and touching, and very much a testimonial to how wonderful her mother was and how she keeps her spirit alive.” She continued, “Even if you weren't alive when this happened, there are still people in your life who were and who were very affected and impacted and still are. So it's a question of remembering, and if you don't remember, it's a question of being sensitive to those who do.”

Rebecca Bazini is a writer for Paw Print Now and has been published on the site since January 2023. Rebecca is currently a junior at the Schechter School of Long Island and can be reached at the following email address: rbazini26@schechterli.org.