Writing about 9/11 from an employment law angle seems a bit out of place. Back in 2008, it seemed easier to write about building evacuation drills on my blog, than something more meaningful.
In part, it was probably because for many years, it just uncomfortable thinking about the scale of the law. Despite numerous visits to New York and a few visits to the memorial, it took me until 2024 to finally feel strong enough to visit the 9/11 museum.
The memorial outside is remarkable for its scale but also its simplicity.
But it’s in the museum down below, that the day and the people involved are stirred from their silence.
You see not only the pictures and artifacts of that date, but also the sounds. The frantic calls to family members. The news reports in disbelief. The sirens. The sound of the towers crashing down.
It’s haunting, but in Judaism, honoring and remembering the dead is so woven into the fabric of the religion that we say a prayer for those who have passed at each service and we have an expression we say: May their memory be for a blessing.
So, on this 25th anniversary of 9/11, I wanted to take my part to honor someone I never met, but whose life is connected to my family’s.
On that visit to the memorial, I found the name of Amy Toyen. You may not have heard of her, but she was from our town in Avon, Connecticut. She was just 24 years old and was attending a trade conference in one of the towers when the plane hit. I never knew Amy but I got to learn about her through our town.
Then, when my kids were in high school — the same high school that Amy graduated from years earlier — we met Heather Toyen, Amy’s sister. Heather became the kids’ guidance counselor and helped us navigate the stressful years of college applications and decisions. She was our blessing.
In a recent interview, Heather noted that the kids she now guides in high school weren’t alive back then but that people still honor her sister’s memory. Its yet another reminder to pass on what we remember to honor those who passed before us.
And so on this date, like we did back then, we should put aside the employment law issues we have, if only for a moment, and honor those we lost on that date and always.
