I was at Brooklyn Bethel on 9/11. When the planes hit, I was working in the 360 Furman building. I know that a crowd of people came walking across the Brooklyn bridge, including some Witnesses who were heading to Bethel for shelter. I don't know whether they let people in during the first few hours. At lunch, Gerritt Lsch announced that since NYC police would be very busy, Bethel would have to take extra security precautions. That afternoon, they had Bethelites outside of the buildings checking IDs before you could even enter the lobby. I don't think very much was offered to the displaced "worldly" people. Bethel was "locked down" that evening--meaning that all Bethelites were instructed to stay in. Later they set up a refreshments table at the 90 Sands lobby. I believe that it was intended for relief workers.
As for comments made by Bethelites after the tragedy, I would say that reactions were mixed. What impressed me at first was the deafening silence of rhetoric coming either from individual Bethelites or from the leadership. There was no spin, no interpretation, no wisdom. I saw for the first time a moment of weakness. My department overseer, known for his loud and frequent statements, simply sat and listened to the radio like the rest of us during the morning of 9/11. Not once did he address the department as a whole. Even the lunchtime announcement by Lsch did not hail this as a coming of the end, an opportunity to witness, or a foretaste of the future. He said that we should not be surprised that these things happen during the end and to be a source of comfort to each other and our neighbors.
Despite the criticism of NYC at times as a stronghold of worldly thinking, most Bethelites felt a loss when the Towers came down. I think that many of them took pride in the fact that they lived in the big city and came to identify with it. They enjoyed seeing the city skyline from the windows of Bethel. Although I remember a congregation publisher saying he couldn't wait to see the city come crashing down--before 9/11, that is--I don't ever remember hearing a bethelite say any such thing.
On the 12th, we had to work overtime in the Laundry. No one seemed to rejoice over 9/11. Instead there was sadness, grief, uncertainty. One sister remarked at how terrible it was for all those people who died. I think a lot of other people felt the same way even if they didn't say it. We usually listened to the radio during overtime--this time, instead of music, we listened to news. A soundbite from a Catholic bishop was played. "We must not take the law into our own hands," he said, "rather, we should let the governments of the civilized world do their job." Another soundbite was played--"When faced with evil we must turn the other cheek and resist the temptation to take revenge." It was more sensible than any comments I had heard so far. One brash young Bethelite guffawed at these words. The interesting thing is that no one else laughed with him.
