September 11 memorial events and commemorations in 2013

Bring your own mat for an evening of yoga on the Elevated Acre, a grassy rooftop space overlooking the East River. Instructor Denise Olsen—whose husband, Jeff Olsen, was among the firefighters who died responding to the September 11 attacks—leads the hour-long vinyasa flow practice. The open-level event benefits Hope for the Warriors, which assists injured service members and veterans, their families, and the families of those killed in the line of duty after 9/11.

The dual beams will again reach into the night sky this year from dusk on Wednesday 11 through dawn on Thursday 12. The pair of rays evoke the Twin Towers, are the brightest beams of light ever projected into the night sky, and are visible from up to 25 miles in each direction. For the past five years, the high-intensity lamps have been powered by biofuel made from used cooking oil collected from NYC restaurants.

Borough officials host an annual ceremony at the Staten Island Postcards Memorial on the North Shore Waterfront Esplanade. Built in 2004, the memorial honors the borough’s 274 residents who lost their lives on 9/11, as well as 47-year-old Stephen Knapp, who died in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. Support family members and local officials (including Mayor Bloomberg) as they read the names of all Staten Islanders who perished in the attacks, then stay for one of the city’s best views of the Tribute in Light.

Tribeca Performing Arts Center hosts this memorial concert featuring American and Middle Eastern musicians, including composer and double bassist Mark Dresser, trumpeter and saxist Joe McPhee, Syrian vocalist Gaida and oud player George Ziadeh. Now in its fourth year, the concert series aims to foster peace and understanding through music; events take place around the world and are broadcast live over the internet.

The Museum of Jewish Heritage—A Living Memorial to the Holocaust offers free admission on the 12th anniversary of 9/11. Take in two temporary exhibitions: “Hava Nagila: A Song for the People,” a multimedia exhibit exploring the Jewish folk tune, and “Against the Odds: American Jews and the Rescue of Europe’s Refugees,” about the efforts to help European Jews escape persecution. Stick around for a free panel discussion with Clifford Chanin, vice president for education and public programming at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum; Carol Willis, director of the Skyscraper Museum; and Charles J. Urstadt, founding chairman and CEO of Battery Park City Authority. The talk will focus on the renewal of Battery Park City after 9/11, as well as the neighborhood’s connection to the World Trade Center site.

This documentary is directed by Danielle Gardner, whose brother, Doug, a Cantor Fitzgerald employee, was killed in the attacks. The financial-services firm lost 658 employees that day—the highest death toll suffered by a single business—and the film features interviews with CEO Howard Lutnick, who went from media darling immediately after the tragedy to media target when he stopped the paychecks of his missing employees. The movie opens nationwide on Wednesday 11, but if you can make it to Regal Union Square (850 Broadway at 14th St) for the 7pm screening, you’ll be rewarded with a post-movie discussion with Gardner and producer Genevieve Baker.