Meeting real-life heroes on the Queen of Sheba mission to Israel

Myra (left) and JNF First Lady Lauren Lizerbram on the mission.

By Myra Chack Fleischer

It was a beautiful sunny morning in Jerusalem as 36 participants of the Queen of Sheba Mission of the Women for Israel Campaign departed our hotel on Veterans Day headed for the 9/11 Memorial. It's the only memorial for the worst terrorist attack on US soil outside of the United States. We knew it would be an emotional morning, but we were not prepared for how much so.

When we arrived, another group was there. It was Heroes to Heroes, an organization that provides healing and support for American veterans who have PTSD or are on a path to self-destruction due to their service in countries such as Iraq and/or Afghanistan. With funding help from Jewish National Fund, the Heroes to Heroes program embraces them, brings them to Israel and helps them on a road to healing the moral injury suffered.

Israel's 9/11 memorial honors U.S. victims of terror, name by name

Photo: Alicia Yaffe 

By Gary Hill

Ever hear the expression "You can’t get there from here?" Due to construction of a new high-speed rail line from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv, that's almost true as you try to find Jerusalem's Living Memorial dedicated to the victims of 9/11. Yes, a memorial in Israel for victims of terrorism who died in New York City, Washington, D.C., and a field in Somerset County, Pennsylvania. But once you find the memorial you understand why it is in Israel and how important it is to visit.

Israel has lost nearly 3,000 civilians to acts of terrorism -- each of their names is inscribed at the Victims of Acts of Terror Memorial on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem. The United States lost nearly 3,000 victims to acts of terror on September 11, 2001, and each of their names is inscribed at the 9/11 Living Memorial in Jerusalem's Azazim Valley, in the Ramot neighborhood. Only one place outside of the United States lists the names of all the victims of 9/11 -- the 9/11 Living Memorial in Israel. The the 9/11 victims were of all religions and ethnic groups and came from more than 50 nations, including five from Israel.