According to the latest figures, 2,977 people were killed as a result of the terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda on September 11, 2001 on the WTC and the Pentagon. Among them were eight Poles, although there were many more people with Polish or Polish-sounding names. 

The statistics of victims of terrorist attacks take into account their place of birth. There were eight such people: Maria Jakubiak, Dorota Kopiczko, Jan Maciejewski, Łukasz Milewski, Anna Piętkiewicz-DeBin, Józef Piskadło, Gina Sztejnberg and Norbert Szurkowski.

Master Andrew Pityński created a very interesting monument that was placed on the pedestal of the Katyń 1940 memorial in Jersey City, a monument that is a so-called silent witness to this tragic event. Another memory board is placed at the facade of the Church of St. Stanislaus the Bishop and Martyr in Manhattan, where the names of the six Poles who died during the September 11, 2001 attack are listed and, as we read on the parish’s website, their ashes are placed.

On 9 September the members of the Polish diaspora commemorated the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks at the Katyń Memorial in Jersey City. 

A proclamation honouring the victims of the German and Soviet crimes (the Katyń Memorial), as well as the 9/11 attacks was sent by Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop, and a special resolution was sent by members of the City Council.

The ceremony, organised by the Katyń Massacre Remembrance Committee, whose chairman is Krzysztof Nowak, was attended by representatives of the Polish Army Veterans Association, the Polish American Congress and scout groups. Students of the Henryk Sienkiewicz Polish Supplementary School in Brooklyn performed with an anniversary vocal and recitation program.

Source: Polish Press Agency, Nowy Dziennik

Tomasz Modrzejewski