Twenty-five years after the September 11 terrorist attacks, Americans and Israelis gathered in Jerusalem on Wednesday night to remember the 2,977 victims at a memorial containing the name of every person killed.
Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund and the US embassy organized the ceremony at Jerusalem’s 9/11 Living Memorial ahead of Rosh Hashana.
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee emphasized the two countries’ shared opposition to terrorism and commitment to protecting civilians.
“Today’s memorial, at which the United States and Israel mourn together and stand together, is a testimony to our enduring solidarity and shared resolve to confront terrorism and protect innocent life,” Huckabee said.
He described the relationship between the countries as “a bond that time cannot erode and terror can never sever.”
The Jerusalem monument is the only 9/11 memorial outside the United States inscribed with the names of all 2,977 people killed in the attacks. Its centerpiece is a 30-foot bronze sculpture depicting an American flag transformed into a memorial flame, with metal recovered from the World Trade Center ruins incorporated into the structure.
The ceremony also included a performance by the Art of Nova group, connecting survivors and relatives of victims of the October 7 Nova music festival massacre with the commemoration. Tali Binar and Guy Ben-Shimon, who survived the massacre, performed alongside Ofri Nahum, whose sister, Nitzan, was killed.
JNF-USA President Deb Lust Zaluda called the Jerusalem memorial “a bridge between two nations bound by shared values and a common destiny.”
Zaluda said remembering the dead also meant honoring families whose lives were permanently changed and those who ran toward danger to help others.
Ambassador Huckabee joined @KKL_JNF at the 9/11 Living Memorial in the Jerusalem Forest. Twenty-five years on, we remember every life lost, and honor the enduring bond forged in that remembrance. pic.twitter.com/yyXrnNJ6if
— U.S. Embassy Jerusalem (@usembassyjlm) September 10, 2026
“As those who despise freedom spread darkness, we must recommit to becoming the light that confronts evil, defeats despair, and illuminates a path toward a better future for our children and generations yet unborn,” she said.
The commemoration was held Wednesday to avoid conflicting with the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashana.
