University to hold service for Sept. 11 victims

This Sunday, nearly three months after the Sept. 11 attacks, the Princeton community will come together in a University Chapel memorial service to remember the 13 alumni who perished in the attacks.

The Alumni Council organized the service, to be held at 1:30 p.m., and explained that the delay was a courtesy to grieving friends and family of the victims.

"We wanted to make sure they were ready," said Margaret Miller '80, a member of the council.

Dean of Religious Life Thomas Breidenthal stated that the council did not want to interfere with private services held in victims' hometowns immediately after the tragedy.

In addition to family and friends, all of the victims' Princeton classmates were notified of the service. Approximately 12,000 invitations were sent out. The service is open to the entire Princeton community, including students, faculty and staff.

Miller said President Tilghman will deliver the opening address, and the program will incorporate both Jewish and Christian mourning prayers. She added that she views the service as a "wonderful time for the Princeton community to come together as a family.

"We hope undergraduates will come out and feel a part of it," Miller added.

Breidenthal, who will lead the service along with Rabbi James Diamond, emphasized that this is "not a service that anyone will be uncomfortable at," adding that it is intended to be "accessible to everyone."

Breidenthal said he plans to read traditional Christian texts for the deceased, while Diamond will recite the Kaddish, a traditional Jewish prayer of mourning.

In addition to solemn prayers and speeches of remembrance, the University Chapel Choir will contribute two musical selections. The first of these, "Song for Athene," by contemporary English composer John Tavener, was one of the pieces sung at Princess Diana's funeral. Choir director Penna Rose described the song as "very powerful — especially in the Chapel."

Consistent with the ceremony's reverence for both the Christian and Jewish traditions, the choir's second piece will be "Hineh Mah Tov," from Leonard Bernstein's Chichester Psalms. The title translates to "How good and pleasant for people to dwell together in unity," a message that seemed to capture the spirit of the event, Rose said.