Twenty years before the terrorist attacks in the United States, a symposium was held on the interaction between the bereaved families of the victims of the incident and the victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake. I sued.

This symposium was held online by organizations that have supported exchanges between the bereaved families of the victims of the terrorist attacks in the United States in 2001 and the victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake.



Among them, Anne Van Hein, who lost her husband who was a firefighter in New York, said, "I have a lot of sadness based on the experience that I was mentally saved by interacting with the victims in the wake of the earthquake. However, I was able to meet many people, "he said.



In addition, Kyouko Akiyama, who interacted with the bereaved family of the terrorist attack during a high school activity in Hirono Town, Fukushima Prefecture, said, "I learned from everyone the importance of communicating my experience while sympathizing with the other party."



The exchange between the bereaved families of the terrorist attacks and the victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake has been difficult since last year due to the influence of the new coronavirus, but the organizations that hosted the symposium will continue to experience each other. I will continue the event to share my thoughts and thoughts.

The bereaved families of the terrorist attacks in the United States who participated

Ann Van Hein, 67, lost her husband, Bruce, then 48, who was a firefighter in the terrorist attacks on the United States 20 years ago.



I have been a volunteer guide at the memorial plaza on the site of the World Trade Center to convey the incident in my own words.



When the Great East Japan Earthquake struck in 2011, I often visited the disaster-stricken areas of Tohoku with other bereaved families to deepen my relationship with the victims.



Mr. Van Hein said, "Everyone in the disaster area became positive as we visited repeatedly and became able to talk about our own experiences like us. It is wonderful. I would like to continue to visit Japan." I was talking.

Those who have experienced the case of continuing to interact

Ms. Meliam Robert, who lived near the World Trade Center Building in New York, which collapsed in the 9/11 terrorist attacks, has been working since 2005 to share her experiences with tourists visiting the site of the building.



In addition, since the Great East Japan Earthquake, we have started visiting the affected areas and have continued to interact with the victims.



Regarding the reason for visiting the disaster area, Mr. Robert said, "What I learned from the terrorist attack was that it is important for people who have had a hard time to build a community and support each other. I want to encourage the victims. "



He said, "I really sympathize with the feeling that our lives will never be restored," and share our experiences, as we have become able to think about living positively through the exchanges we have had so far. Was appealing for the importance of.