Jewish National Fund To Honor Pikesville Firefighters With Plaque, Ceremony On 9/11

From Jewish National Fund: Jewish National Fund (JNF) Baltimore will mark the 16th anniversary of the September 11th attacks on Monday, September 11 with a ceremony and program at the Pikesville Volunteer Fire Company (Station 32), located at 40 E. Sudbrook Lane, Pikesville, 21208 at 9:30 am.

This public event will be held in coordination with the Embassy of Israel and will remember those first-responders who were killed on 9/11 and after that fateful day due to injuries and illnesses suffered, and say thank you to our local first-responders by presenting the fire station with a plaque bearing an image of JNF’s 9/11 Living Memorial in Jerusalem.

“This special monument in Jerusalem is a testament to the deep connection between the State of Israel and the U.S., and it is the only place outside the U.S. that recognizes the names of all the people killed on 9/11,” said Anne Greenspoon, JNF’s Director of Community Engagement. “JNF is pleased to recognize our first-responders for their contributions and sacrifices to our local communities, and to share our mutual respect while we honor those who fell during the attacks on September 11.”

JNF will also present firefighters from Pikesville Volunteer Fire Company Station 32, Chestnut Ridge Volunteer Fire Company Station 50, and Baltimore County Fire Department Station 2 (Pikesville career) with tree certificates to thank them for their contributions in fighting the fires in Israel last November. The honorees are members of the Emergency Volunteers Project (EVP), an emergency first-responders group that dispatches firefighters to Israel in its time of need.

In late November 2016, Israel experienced the worst outbreak of fires in its history, and it is thanks to the additional support of firefighters from organizations like EVP that the destructive flames were extinguished. Throughout the six-day blaze, EVP sent 50 volunteer firefighters to Israel. The local firefighters to be honored are Captain Scott Goldstein (Firefighter/Paramedic), Howie Cohen (Paramedic), Jason Broth (Firefighter/EMT), all of PVFC, and Sholom Reches (Paramedic) of CRVFC.

“On behalf of the firefighters and EMTs in Pikesville, we thank the people of Israel and Jewish National Fund for taking the time to recognize us,” said Captain Goldstein. “We have two fire stations in Pikesville that combined respond to over 4,000 calls for help each year. One station is volunteer-based while the other is career, but we train together, run calls together, and work as one team. There are many common bonds between us—sense of duty, strong work ethic, and the selflessness of putting someone else’s safety above our own for a moment. On that day, September 11, FDNY firefighters made a decision to run into burning buildings that others were running out of to perform their jobs. Three hundred and forty-three made the ultimate sacrifice.”

In addition to the participation of representatives from the Israeli Embassy, students from Krieger Schechter Day School’s 4th grade will also join this moving ceremony.

JNF will be holding similar 9/11 commemorations at fire stations in six other cities across the U.S., including Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, Chicago, Boston, Miami, and San Francisco.

Since 1901, Jewish National Fund has planted over 250 million trees across Israel to “green” the desert for all Israelis. JNF has and remains committed to building a more secure Israel, one that is prepared with life-saving firefighting equipment and supplies.

For more information on attending this ceremony, please contact Anne Greenspoon, Director of Community Engagement, at agreenspoon@jnf.orgor at 413.486.3317 x835.

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