“In that spirit let us ask, what have we learnt from 9/11 that is pertinent to our vulnerable world today? Firstly, we must recognise, sadly and tragically, that the evil forces which perpetuated the atrocities of 9/11 are still in our midst.
“Extreme Islamism has continued to stain our world. In London in 2005, in Paris in 2015, in Manchester 2017, in Israel on October 7, 2023. The threat to our values and to our civilisation has not gone away.”
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The ‘Since 9/11’ sculpture in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park[Missing Credit]
He said social cohesion requires “difficult conversations”, and stressed the importance of maintaining dialogue and relationships even with people whose views “differ very sharply” from our own.
“When confronted by terrorism, our response must be to stand tall with pride, never losing hope in a good future,” he said.
“When confronted by hate, our response must be to increase our love of community, of decency, of fairness, of family. When confronted by those who seek to glorify death, we must respond by sanctifying life.”
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Audience gathers for event commemorating the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks, September 11, 2026 (Credit: Daniel Ben-David)[Missing Credit]
The Chief Rabbi spoke alongside political, civic, academic and religious leaders, including representatives from the US Embassy, emergency responders and Ashfaque Chowdhury, chair of the Association of Muslim Schools UK.
The event also featured video messages from former New York City Fire Commissioner Thomas von Essen CBE and Prime Minister Andy Burnham.
Burnham, who referenced the Heaton Park Synagogue terror attack in October 2025 and the Manchester Arena bombing in May 2017, said he had been mayor during two “horrific terrorist attacks”.
“Those who seek to destroy our way of life will never win,” he said.
“We will never forget these terrible events, but we refuse to be defined by them,” he continued.
“Terror still knocks on the door of democracy, but the United Kingdom and the United States stand together in memory of those we lost and in defence of the values we cherish. We are you, and you are us, and we will prevail.”
The ‘Since 9/11’ sculpture in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park was created by artist Miya Ando using steel from the World Trade Centre. Speaking at the event, Ando said she polished a section of the steel so that it could “reflect the sky and clouds”, and that the beams had been positioned upright to embody hope and rebuilding.
Nearly 3,000 people were killed on September 11, 2001, including 67 UK citizens, making it the largest loss of British lives in a terrorist incident.
The event was organised by ‘Since 9/11’, an educational organisation dedicated to countering extremism in the classroom.
