We hope you had a good Thanksgiving filled with family, friends, and wonderful food. VOICES
E-newsletter is back from the holiday as well to bring you updates on the WTC memorial and in public policy reform. Also, VOICES director of family programs Dr. Robin Goodman has contributed an essay entitled "Traditions" that offers advice on celebrating holiday family traditions without your loved ones and tips on building new traditions.

Along with St. Paul's Chapel, VOICES invites you to a holiday interfaith service in memory of those who died on 9/11. The service will be held at St. Paul’s Chapel, NYC on Saturday, December 17 from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. Seating is limited and reservations required. Please contact our office to RSVP. Details are listed below.

The Public Discourse Project will hold its final panel this Monday, December 5th in Washington, DC. We encourage family members to attend, the panel should be televised on CSPAN. Details are listed below and on the PDP's Website.

Warm Regards,

Along with St. Paul's Chapel, VOICES invites you to a holiday interfaith service in memory of those who died on 9/11. The service will be held at St. Paul’s Chapel on Saturday, December 17 from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. Special guests the Harlem Gospel Choir, Loco-Motion Children's Dance Theater and others will perform at the service. Seating is limited and reservations required. Contact our office to reserve seats at (866) 505-3911 or (203) 966-3911. Following the service Sculptor Mark Pilato will unveil his sculpture "Ascent." Families will be invited to write their loved one's name on the base of the scupture and write messages to be enclosed inside the base. St. Paul's Chapel also invites families to bring an ornament in memory of your loved one that will be placed on the tree in their courtyard.

Please click here to send us information on your memorial or foundation event. The information will be posted on the VOICES website and included in upcoming e-Newsletters.

The 16 spots on the Board of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation (LMDC) have been filled with Governor George Pataki’s appointment Monday of Robert Douglass. The LMDC, the joint State-City Corporation formed to oversee the revitalization of Lower Manhattan, has eight members appointed by Governor Pataki and eight by Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Douglass is the chairman of the Alliance for Downtown New York and the Downtown-Lower Manhattan Association, according to an Associated Press article. Douglass’ appointment completes a recent round of appointments including top aides to Pataki and Bloomberg. It is unclear whether a beefed-up LMDC board will speed redevelopment of Lower Manhattan, however. Announcing his appointment of four new members to the board in November, Mayor Bloomberg commented he "never was sure that the LMDC should have been created to begin with,” according to an earlier Associated Press article. But others have struck a more positive note: “Mayor Bloomberg sparks hope that rebuilding will start to progress, if not speedily, at least coherently” with the new appointments, says a recent editorial in the New York Daily News.

Also the Port Authority may move into a greater role in the construction of the WTC Memorial and Museum. Pataki added he still wants to ensure the World Trade Center Memorial Foundation remains the "client, overseer and keeper" of the memorial design conceived by Michael Arad and landscape architect Peter Walker. But "If the Port Authority can offer the ability to guarantee costs and provide greater efficiency . . . we think this proposal merits serious consideration," he is quoted in a recent New York Daily News article. Also, Pataki has reasserted his intention to remain fully involved in constructing the Memorial and revitalizing Lower Manhattan, claiming "There's nothing more important" than redevelopment of the WTC site in an interview with the Associated Press.

Individuals, families, cultures, religions, and even countries follow various traditions. Holiday, birthdays, and other special occasions are often marked with time honored customs. Yet, at times the ceremony or festivity is kept long past when anyone remembers its origin or meaning. The following are some issues for families affected by 9/11 to consider as you revisit your own traditions.

One particular definition of tradition, “the passing down of elements of a culture from generation to generation, especially by oral communication” * is worth noting when approaching a celebration. It is a reminder that no matter what you do, it is equally if not more important to talk about why, where, and how a tradition started. Talking about who was involved - really “talking” and listening to each other - brings someone to life. Learning something new about someone who died, sharing what you know from the past, and teaching children about someone they knew too briefly is a very special type of communication.
Traditions should be comforting. Familiarity often brings a sense of security and stability, especially in turbulent or changing times. There can be something reassuring about doing things as they were always done before.
Balance needs and preferences. When a family member has died it can be painful to do what was done in the past. But what is painful for a bereaved spouse may be longed for by children.
Involve others. Take time to share thoughts and brainstorm with siblings, parents, extended family, and friends. When change is needed, asking others what they liked best from existing activities and what they might want to change can lead to some surprising new ideas.
Search your own past to rediscover what was especially meaningful and memorable. It may be time to bring back or expose a new generation to a forgotten activity, place, food, or ceremony.
Create new traditions as they are needed. Old traditions can feel outdated or to have lost their meaning at times. Situations change – people move, children get older, relatives marry or divorce. If burdened by the thought of making dinner for a crowd, a pot luck or cocoa party may work better. As life evolves, take a careful look at what still works, what needs to be tweaked, or what should be overhauled.
Look beyond your home and family. Seek ways to connect and contribute to the community at large. Focusing on others in need or reaching out to those facing their own tough times can be gratifying Providing and establishing a tradition of caring is always worth continuing.
Consider different parts of your life and make room for varied activities. During the winter holidays, watching football games with friends is not the same as an ice skating party with kids or caroling with fellow worshippers.
Be patient. Traditions are not established overnight. Some trial and error may be needed to figure out exactly what fits.
Traditions provide a sense of continuity and connection. Linking to the past and connecting to your own personal family, cultural or religious history is a way to honor your heritage and give meaning to your life. Shared activities, ceremonies, and memories bind people together and remind them they are part of a larger supportive network of all those who have come and gone. By talking about traditions and making them current you are also passing on a wonderful part of yourself to future generations.

* The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition,
2000, Houghton Mifflin Company.

Voices offers special holiday drop-in teleconference group

The holidays are often a hectic time but there can be added stress for those affected by 9/11. To help you cope and share your thoughts and feelings, VOICES has scheduled a drop in teleconference group on Thursday December 22 from 12:00 -1:00 pm EST. The teleconference group will be facilitated by VOICES mental health professional Judy Stotz, LPC. The group is open to any family members, witnesses, and survivors. Prior registration is required by calling the VOICES office at (203) 966-3911 or toll-free at (866) 505-3911. If you would like to participate but are unavailable at this time, please contact dwestfal@voicesofsept11.org. Additional call in times will be scheduled.

What: 9/11 PDP Final Report Card
When: 10:00 a.m., Monday, December 5, 2005
Where: Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center Horizon Room (Ground Level)

The 9/11 Public Discourse Project will issue its fourth and final report on the progress of their recommendations next Monday. The fourth report will encapsulate the PDP’s findings and marks the completion of their work. We hope the Commissioners will continue their dedication to seeing the recommendations through in some form, as well as maintain their working relationship with the families. Their final report will be broadcast on C-SPAN, though possibly not live. We urge all of you to consult C-SPAN’s schedule for more information this weekend.

A federal judge will allow 9/11 family members to watch the death penalty phase of Zacharias Moussaoui’s trial for conspiracy in the 9/11 attacks. Though he pleaded guilty in April to being part of a radical Islamist conspiracy to fly planes into U.S. buildings, Moussaoui claims he should not be sentenced to death because 9/11 was "not my conspiracy." He was in jail in Minnesota for immigration violations when the four planes were crashed in New York, Pennsylvania and at the Pentagon. Instead, Moussaoui said, he was part of a separate plot to fly a jet into the White House, according to a detailed Associated Press article.

The proceedings will be broadcast via closed-circuit television to federal courthouses in Manhattan and Long Island, N.Y.; Newark, N.J.; Philadelphia; Boston and Alexandria, Va., U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema said in an order last Tuesday. VOICES will keep you updated on details and dates as they become available.

On November 22, Speaker of the House of representatives Dennis Hastert committed to returning $125 million for the ongoing mental and physical health needs of 9/11 first responders. VOICES eNewsletter reported that the money was in jeopardy in our last edition and we are relieved Hastert chose to do the right thing by our brave first responders. The New York Congressional delegation deserves recognition for their fight to get the money back. "The money will go to where it rightfully belongs, to those who responded so heroically on Sept. 11. We will now be able to help them in return." Rep. Vito Fossella (R-Staten Island) said in a New York Daily News article. More information as well as a link to the letter from Hastert to Fossella confirming the full appropriation is available in a Congressional Quarterly online article.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE VISIT:
www.voicesofsept11.org

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