Where There
Is Sorrow, There Is Holy Ground:
A September 11, 2001 Retrospective
September 11 - November 1, 2002
David Filderman Gallery, 9th floor,
Axinn Library
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Len Jacobs
Ground Zero, 9/15/01
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Guest Curators: Professor
Geri E. Solomon, University Archivist/Interim Director, Long Island
Studies Institute
Janelle Boucher, Graduate Intern, Processing Archivist, The September
11th Project
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| In this exhibit, we have attempted to
depict the people of Long Island and their responses in the aftermath of
tragedy. While much of the world focused on terrorists and terrorism,
those of us closest to the actual disaster site needed to use all of our
resources to simply cope with day-to-day life. Highways that were once
pathways into the city, became available only to emergency personnel.
Trains that once carried thousands to work in a rather mundane fashion,
stood empty and unnecessary. And, people who had not ever considered
themselves anything but ordinary citizens became heroes. Whether it was
because of the backbreaking physical labor that they performed at
"Ground Zero," or because they offered themselves as volunteers, or they
made donations of food or donations of dollars, Long Islanders responded
with their hearts.
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| Shortly after the events of September 11, 2001, Jerry Kessler,
President of Friends for Long Island's Heritage called the
Hofstra University Archives. He thought that it would be important
for a repository to begin to collect documentation about Long Islanders
reactions to those tragic events. The University agreed that it was
imperative to store these items at a site that would be accessible to
the Long Island community.
The Long Island Studies Institute was deemed an appropriate site. |
Susan Oakes
Healing & Rebirth
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Len Jacobs
10/14/01, Firemen Lean Against Truck at Firehouse |
The September 11th Project Collection has grown each day since that
time. It includes personal reflections, photographs, artistic
renderings, audiotapes, objects, printed materials, and videotapes. The
focus remains "Long Island-centric" and it reflects the spirit of hope
and the caring nature of our communities. As the need for volunteers
became great, greater still was the response of our emergency personnel,
our firemen, our students, and the ordinary citizen. The collection
documents the thoughts and prayers of our religious institutions, our
educational institutions, and our businesses.
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Susan Oakes
No Time to Scream |
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