For my parents, the day JFK was shot remains one of, if not the defining moment of their generation. This act of violence continued to impact our country for years, affecting policy, security, international relations and so much more. My parents could recount exactly where they were and how they felt and responded in the moments and days after. I tried to connect to their experience yet couldn’t fully understand… until September 11, 2001.

I was working in downtown Chicago at the America-Israel Chamber of Commerce, in a high rise building on N. Michigan Ave. By 9am I and most employees working in the loop had made their way back home, glued to the TV and internet, desperately trying to connect with friends and family in NYC, Pennsylvania and DC. As a New Yorker, these events directly affected many in my inner circle. I was in a state of shock.

18 years later, the attack on the WTC continues to feel so recent, so tangible. Since that day there has been a tension in this country between security and freedom. We all see it, feel it and respond to it in different ways. As with JFK’s assassination, 9/11 continues to impact our local and national policies, international and interpersonal relationships, our view of the world.

So how do we honor those we lost on that day and in the conflicts and wars that ensued? At MJDS we lead with empathy, wonder and a thirst for improving the world around us, from our youngest students to our most seasoned staff member. We remind our students that they are safe at school and that their families chose MJDS because we will do everything in our power to help them grow and repair the world… one kindness and one selfless act at a time.

Thank you for trusting us and partnering with us to make our world a better place, no matter what.