Most of us can recall exactly where we were on 9/11. I will never forget, shortly after the planes hit, walking from my office to my kids’ elementary school, and spending the remainder of the day arranging for bewildered children to get back to their homes safely. We also all remember how, in the wake of those cataclysmic events, the New York community came together first to grieve, then to heal, and, eventually, to rebuild. Differences were put aside and we leaned on one another as never before. Like many, I knew people who perished — and the pain was very real and personal.

On that Tuesday morning 15 years ago, staff and volunteers at a number of UJA-supported agencies began the day like any other. A few short hours later, they were heroes. The Educational Alliance, just blocks from Ground Zero, ran impromptu triage centers, treating victims and shuttling them to nearby hospitals. A nearby day care center was evacuated and the Alliance took care of those children, not knowing when (or if) the children would be picked up. Counselors from the Jewish Board and FEGS were on the front lines for months, providing trauma support and counseling to New York City police, fire fighters, EMS workers and scores of businesses devastated by the disaster. Walk-in clinics were set up so anyone could come and speak with a trained professional.

UJA was also instrumental in forming the 9/11 United Services Group to support victims, families, survivors, and caregivers. Tens of thousands of New Yorkers received critical help.

My friend and predecessor, John Ruskay, often summed it up this way: “We were effective on 9/11 because of the capacity of our network on 9/10.” These words still ring true today. In the 15 intervening years, other crises — the 2008 Recession, Hurricane Sandy, the wars in Israel — have tested us and proven the power of the extraordinary system we support.

Earlier this week, I stood in an office overlooking Ground Zero, and saw what has been built from total destruction. In this place that symbolized so much loss, our city’s resilience and vitality is very much on display.

In a similar way, 9/11 has today become a National Day of Service and Remembrance. My family and I will be joining thousands of others this Sunday to help pack more than half a million meals for families, seniors, veterans, and others at risk of hunger.

We have always taken care of each other. And, please God, we always will.

Shabbat shalom