September 11, 2024 marks the 23rd anniversary of one of the saddest and worst days in American history: the terror attack of 9/11.

This is one of those days that never gets any easier, no matter how much time passes. Speaking as a Jewish-American, the anniversary feels somber this year in the aftermath of October 7. Emotionally speaking, getting through the day can be tough. In the Jewish calendar, the yahrzeit for Jewish 9/11 victims will be in the evening of September 25 through the afternoon of September 26 to coincide with the Jewish date of 23 Elul, 5784. The 30th anniversary in 2031 is the next time that 23 Elul is on 9/11.

Some people will spend today by watching various documentary specials or series, either on TV or streaming services. There are a few between Netflix, Apple TV+, Paramount+, and Max. Or they might choose to watch the news coverage of the ceremonies taking place at the memorials at the World Trade Center site, Flight 93 crash site, or the Pentagon. I don’t know what, if anything, I’ll be watching this year because it never gets any easier. Baseball fans might consider watching Extra Innings from 9/11: 20 Years Later. Discovery Channel and National Geographic also have a number of doc series or specials airing throughout the day. Nat Geo will be airing 9/11: One Day in America in its entirety.

In the days after 9/11, sports and late night talk shows slowly returned to normal. Those of us who watched will never forget The Late Show with David Letterman welcoming Dan Rather in an emotional broadcast, Jon Stewart playing with a puppy during The Daily Show‘s Moment of Zen. And of course, baseball fans have Jack Buck’s poem, which you can find below. Tom Cruise opened up the 2002 Oscars with a Cameron Crowe-penned monologue.

As we wake up to a number of moments of silence this morning, my thoughts are with those families who lost loved ones on 9/11 and in its aftermath. Many first responders are suffering from illnesses linked to 9/11 and I’m certainly thinking of them today.

I leave you with the words of the late St. Louis Cardinals broadcaster Jack Buck. He delivered a poem at Busch Stadium on September 17, when the Cardinals played the Milwaukee Brewers in their first game back after 9/11:

Since this nation was founded, under G-d
More than 200 years ago
We have been the bastion of freedom
The light that keeps the free world aglow

We do not covet the possessions of others
We are blessed with the bounty we share.

We have rushed to help other nations
anything, anytime, anywhere.

War is just not our nature
We won’t start, but we will end the fight
If we are involved we shall be resolved
To protect what we know is right.

We have been challenged by a cowardly foe
Who strikes and then hides from our view.

With one voice we say, “We have no choice today,”
There is only one thing to do.

Everyone is saying the same thing and praying
That we end these senseless moments we are living.

As our fathers did before, we shall win this unwanted war
And our children, will enjoy the future, we’ll be giving.

Out of respect for the sanctity of today, I will be postponing my film review of The 4:30 Movie until tomorrow morning. May G-d bless America.

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