By ALEX COSTELLO
"I'm here to step up for those who cannot speak and those who need to be remembered," Giebfried said at the Oceanside Interfaith Council's annual 9/11 memorial ceremony at Schoolhouse Green last Thursday, which attracted a crowd of about 100.
Before she became a pastor, Giebfried was an EMT with the Oceanside Fire Department, and she explained that for first responders like her, there will always be a part of them that is still at ground zero. "Everybody talks about being a hero, but we went to do our job that day," Giebfried said after she had to pause her speech as the Oceanside Fire Department, whose headquarters are across the street from the green, responded to an emergency call.
Dark clouds early in the day had given way to bright sunshine that reminded some of the beautiful day seven years earlier on which the terrorists struck. Each Sept. 11 since then, the Oceanside Interfaith Council has held a ceremony to remember friends and loved ones who died that day.
The Council consists of leaders from the various houses of worship in town, including the First Presbyterian, First United Methodist and Oceanside Lutheran churches, Temple Avodah, St. Anthony's R.C. Church, St. Andrew's Episcopal Church and Oceanside Jewish Center.
The OJC's Rabbi Mark Greenspan, who joined the Oceanside Fire Department after the attacks, was among the Council leaders who offered prayers of remembrance and hope to a diverse group of people: children and adults, those who came alone and entire families, grandparents, a couple expecting their first child. Standing at a lectern sporting a banner that read "Always Remember," Greenspan read "We Remember Them," from the Jewish Book of Prayer, and recalled where he was when he heard about the attacks.
"I was sitting with Rabbi [Uri] Goren at Bagel Boss when the first plane hit the World Trade Center," Greenspan said. "At that moment, we thought it was an accident. And a matter of minutes later, as I was leaving, word came that the second tower had been hit by an airplane as well. And of course we knew it wasn't [an accident]."
Greenspan gave way to the Rev. Randall Broger, who said, "The first five letters of humanity are h-u-m-a-n, a bond which needs to be nurtured so each of us can face the challenges that lie ahead or what we may witness each day."
In a sober monotone, the Rev. Janet Porcher read the names of the Oceanside victims of 9/11. She then read "Afterglow," a poem by Joyce Grenfell. "We are left a legacy," she said. "Let us remember each and every one."
The tribute concluded with the singing of "America the Beautiful," followed by prayers from the Revs. James French and Hadi Sasmita. "It is [in] times of distress and tragedy [that] unselfish acts of kindness are expressed because we do not want to see another person suffer. No one stands alone today," Sasmita said after his closing prayer.
The attendees were led in the singing of "God Bless America," and then the Oceanside Fire Department bugler played taps.
Comments about this story? ACostello@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 207.
Photos By Janette Pelligrini/Herald
