H eadlines
9-11 Continued from Page 12
Mike Costello, finance
director The day started off like any
other. I made my way into Center
City from Northeast Philadelphia
and arrived at my office around 7
a.m. At the time, I was working
as a credit union loan officer.

While the internet existed, it was
still relatively new. Cellphones
weren’t nearly as common as
they are now. As such, I used to
listen to a radio tuned in to the
Howard Stern Show.

I remember listening to
the show and hearing about
the attack. At first, like many
others, I presumed it was a
small commuter plane that
took a wrong turn. Then, I
heard that the second plane hit
and was frozen.

We did not have a television in
the office, and news reports were
beginning to cover the event in
detail. People were hearing the
news from relatives and news
battery died, then resuming the
call from the phone that hung on
my kitchen wall. She likened the
event to Pearl Harbor and the
invasion of Normandy.

The one thing that I
distinctly remember that night
was a feeling of sadness for
those who lost their lives and
for their families. I remember
feeling fortunate that I had not
suffered those losses and that
my family was safe. The long
chat with Nana helped to wake
me up the next morning with
a feeling of pride about being
American and a sense of deter-
mination that no obstacle is
insurmountable. That determi-
nation still resides with me.

Jarrad Saffren, staff writer
I was in fourth grade, and
I remember a few kids leaving
class in the morning. My
teacher was this big, burly guy,
and his personality was as big
as his body, and he made some
joke like, “What’s goin’ on?!”
He didn’t know yet. None
Our Community Has Trusted
Rosen Family Businesses
for Decades
My father, Don Rosen, taught me that the key
to a successful business is integrity, meaningful
relationships and excellent customer service.

I honor his legacy every day through my work at
Griswold Home Care.

The long chat with Nana helped to wake me
up ... with a feeling of pride about being
American and a sense of determination that no
obstacle is insurmountable.”
MIKE COSTELLO
alerts online. I recall the instant
messaging software that broad-
cast events to employees. It
wasn’t much longer before we
were told that the building was
closing, and we needed to make
our way home.

It seemed like Center City
was undergoing a simultaneous
mass evacuation. The train
stations and subway platforms
were crowded, and it took me
several hours to make my way
home. Once I arrived home, I
remember doing little else but
watching the news coverage for
the next two days, both horri-
fied by the images and loss of
life and proud to see people
helping each other.

I remember chatting at length
with my grandmother from the
wireless house phone until the
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM of us did. But after lunch, the
office kept buzzing into the
classroom and asking for kids
to be sent down for dismissal.

By the end of the day, I
think there were four students
left in class. Finally, our teacher
sat down in front of us, started
fighting back tears and said
that “someone attacked the
United States.”
Some students
asked questions but he didn’t want
to say too much. We were kids.

My younger brother and I
walked home after school, and
our mom was watching the
news. We saw a woman being
interviewed in New York City.

Her face was bloody. l
agotlieb@jewishexponent.com; 215-832-0797
JEWISH EXPONENT
SEPTEMBER 9, 2021
17