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June 2, 2026 Thank you to everyone who joined us for the webinar on Sunday, May 31st! If you were unable to watch the webinar, or would like to revisit it. You can watch the recording here! https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/EAUZ6AUlX7fUpVN_n4vp42_pIDWdRwHQX9KTPc5H-3XNZSTSwZEF-uadu5F7MyuD.8shYeUt3pnrIbD73 Passcode: zj2%o?Bd If you have any issues, please feel free to email elizabeth@peacefultomorrows.org

The purpose of this webinar is to reflect on our 25-year history, the impact our work has had, and how to grow the next generation of peacemakers. May 31, 2026 at 5 - 6pm EST To register for the webinar, please visit: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_MBCebgNLQ-OD7-gbKjB1WA SPEAKER: Jeremy Varon is the author of "Our Grief is Not A Cry For War,” a Professor of History at the New School, and a member of Witness Against Torture. He will speak about the antiwar movement of the early 2000s, focusing on the role of September Eleventh Families for Peaceful Tomorrows in it, the group’s impact on post-9/11 discourse, and the future of peacemaking efforts. His book chronicles opposition to the Afghanistan and Iraq Wars and the torture camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Amy Goodman (Democracy Now!) wrote that the book "eloquently captures the depth, creativity, and commitment with which peacemakers around the world confronted the so-called War on Terror.” SPEAKER: Kathy Kelly - Kathy is one of our longtime allies. A participants in numerous hunger strikes, the word "committed" doesn't even begin to describe her peace activism. Kathy is a brilliant organizer, teacher and story teller with, as she says, "the Irish gift," who transforms her years of witnessing in war zones with such illumination and warmth that she uplifts those fortunate to hear her. SPEAKER: Colleen Kelly a member of Peaceful Tomorrows from early on, Colleen has dedicated many years to the work of witnessing what is going on at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. She believes "there’s a time for righteous moral outrage, just as there’s a time for accountability, and justice. Peaceful Tomorrows helps with these vital goals. But in the end, it’s about love, and my brother Bill. How much he loved and was loved. How much I miss him. And how much I want the world to be a place where last words are never the end result of political violence, but instead reflect a full life well lived." SPEAKER: Elizabeth Miller is one of our newer members. She was a mere 6 years old when she lost her dad on 9/11. "As a “9/11 kid” I always felt alone in my calls for peace and concerns for injustice – that both I experienced and people around the world experienced due to the absence of rule of law after 9/11....Peaceful Tomorrows has helped to shape me in the few years I have been a member of the organization. I have traveled to Guantanamo Bay Detention Center to witness the pre-trial hearings.... I am privileged to surround myself with individuals who have kind hearts and strong minds – all dedicated to promoting peace and understanding in the face of a terrible tragedy."

April 30, 2026 After a welcome by Robyn Donati and a brief outline of historical milestones that formed September Eleventh Families for Peaceful Tomorrows, the two speakers took the mic. Rabbi Amita Jarmon shared about her repeated journeys to Israel/Palestine and her ongoing struggles as an American Jew facing the racism that shapes Israeli politics. Amita has ongoing friendships with Palestinians and protects civilian lives through her work with Rabbis for Human Rights, doing protective presence at Palestinian farms in the West Bank, near Jewish settlements. She also shared stories about the work she did with the Sulha Project. Sulha brings together Israelis and Palestinians together for listening circles, sharing personal experiences and emotions that create bonds of empathy and commitment to a just and peaceful path forward together and other organizations in Israel. Marwa Abu Juila shared about her experience living under occupation and the daily humiliations Palestinians face. She holds a master’s degree in Conflict Resolution and works as behavioral analyst in schools. Marwa is a somatic healer, integrating voice and sound as tools for inner balance and collective healing. She utilizes song, breathing techniques and meditation to counterbalance the daily stresses. She led a short somatic exercise with participants. ADDITIONAL RESOURCES: WEBSITES: The Forgiveness Project: https://www.theforgivenessproject.com The Sulha Project: https://www.sulha.org.il Rabbis for Human Rights: https://rhr.org.il Combatants for Peace: www.peace.org Friends of The Parents Circle Forum: https://parentscirclefriends.org The Abraham Initiatives: https://abrahaminitiatives.org Seeds of Peace International Camp https://seedsofpeace.org LEGISLATION: Legislation in the House of Representatives to advocate for: H.R. 473 House Gaza Humanitarian Aid Restoration Act of 2025 https://www.congress.gov/bill/199th-congress/house-bill/473 H.R.3045 West Bank Violence Prevention Act of 2025 https://www.congress.gov/bill/199th-congress/house-bill/3045 H.R. 7645 Ceasefire Compliance Act of 2026 https://www.congress.gov/bill/199th-congress/house-bill/7645 H.R.7545 Defending the Human rights of Palestinian Children and Families Living Under Israeli Military Occupation Act https://www.congress.gov/bill/199th-congress/house-bill/7545 Legislation in the Senate to advocate for: S.2667-West Bank Violence Prevention Act of 2025 https://www.congress.gov/bill/199th-congress/senate-bill2667 S.R. 224 Calling for urgent delievery of humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza https://www.congress.gov/bill/199th-congress/senate- resolution/224 S.4095 - The Justice for Hind Rajab Act https://www.congress.gov/bill/199th-congress/senate-bill/4095

APRIL 26, 2026 at 4pm - 5:30pm EST To Register for the webinar, please visit: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_jj__Xy25Re-1ETWSC0BAWA#/registration The focus of the webinar is to highlight the courageous ways the journey of our speakers has been to “get to know the other,” becoming peace advocates and activists.  There is so much violence in the Middle East right now, as well as many perspectives, nuances, and differences of opinion that could interfere with the intention of the event.  Please respect the intention of this webinar and keep the focus on the material being presented.  September Eleventh Families for Peaceful Tomorrows does collaborate with a range of organizations in the region such as Combatants for Peace, and the Parents Circle Family Forum. SPEAKER: Marwa Abu Juila is an entrepreneur and activist devoted to walking the path of peace and conscious leadership. She holds a master's degree in Conflict Resolution and works as a behavioral analyst in schools.  Marwa leads youth circles focused on social engagement, dialogue, and community empowerment.  She is also a sound healer, integrating voice and sound as tools for inner balance and collective healing.  In addition, she is a member of the Executive Board of the Tishreen Association, where she actively contributes to cultural and social initiatives. SPEAKER: Rabbi Amita Jarmon currently lives in Amherst, MA. She lived in Israel between 1978 and 1988, and again from 2009-2021. During her recent 12 years in Israel, she was active in projects with Rabbis for Human Rights , Seeds of Peace , and served on the Steering Committee of the Sulha Peace Project . Sulha brings Israelis and Palestinians together for listening circles, sharing personal experiences and emotions that create bonds of empathy and commitment to a just and peaceful path forward together. In addition, Rabbi Amita is one of the four co-directors of Friends of Women of Vision, which brought Jewish women from the US to meet with Jewish, Palestinian and Druze Women of Vision in Israel and Palestine in March 2025.   MODERATOR: Robyn Bernstein Donati lost her mother at the World Trade Center on 9-11-01. She is co-chair of the Peaceful Tomorrows Islamophobia Committee. Despite her mother’s murder, Robyn never wanted retribution or revenge. She never got angry, only profoundly sad. The actions the United States of America took after 9-11 do not represent her or her wishes. Robyn is passionate about combatting the rise in Islamophobia and Anti-Semitism, especially as they have both risen dramatically since October 7, 2024. - Twenty-five years, yes twenty-five years after 9-11, there is a strong need for this work to continue. Protection of religious freedom and human rights strengthens our nation, denying those rights is un-American. Repressive policies that grow out of fear, hatred, and greed do not serve us well.

March 1st, 2026 September 11 th  Families for Peaceful Tomorrows strongly condemns the U.S. and Israeli military attacks on Iran, the assassination of Iran's Supreme Leader  Ayatollah Ali Khamenei , and the use of the military to force regime change. Our members, all relatives of individuals killed in the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the U.S., have witnessed far too many U.S. efforts to promote regime change – in Afghanistan, in Iraq, in Libya and elsewhere – in the name of eradicating terrorism.  These efforts failed. They did, however, lead to greater conflict, the deaths of tens of thousands of innocent civilians, and ultimately involved U.S. boots on the ground with the loss of U.S. service members’ lives. The attacks on Iran were carried out in violation of U.S., international, and international humanitarian law. The military attacks were not in opposition to any immediate threat to U.S. citizens, nor were the attacks authorized by Congress, as required by the U.S. Constitution. While we stand with the citizens of Iran in support of their civil society efforts to promote democracy within their nation and end the violation of Iranians’ human rights, we are deeply concerned that any transition forced by the American and Israeli governments does not hold the interests of Iranian citizens as primary.  The fundamental concern of Peaceful Tomorrows is always civilian casualties. Our relatives were murdered by rogue actors seeking political change. We condemn violence in any form as a means to political or societal change and demand the protection of all civilians from any faction engaging in this current armed conflict.

Storytelling, Media & Public Narrative Develop a series of op-eds or columns by PT members to be syndicated and pitched to media ahead of the anniversary. Explore a StoryCorps-style project to record and preserve voices of PT members in perpetuity. Consider a storytelling focus on how 9/11 has been taught over time, including reflections from educators and students. Ensure anniversary messaging addresses the passage of time and evolving perspectives on 9/11.   Education & Public Programming Launch a webinar series, starting with the Islamophobia Committee's "Important Conversations for Peace," in April, another in the summer, and end with one focused on peace and the long-term lessons of 9/11. Develop a webinar for educators on how to teach 9/11 in classrooms, with potential for rebroadcast and long-term use. Create or update educational materials connected to 9/11 and peace building. Revisit and potentially revive "Big Pages for Peace" or similar classroom-based projects. Public Actions & Commemorations Explore the possibility of a Walk for Peace tied to the 25th commemoration, potentially involving multi-faith participation and organizational partners. Reflect on PT's history of walks and public actions as a foundation for renewed engagement. Consider incorporating memorials or moments of remembrance during public actions to honor loved ones, first responders, and others impacted after 9/11. Understanding that large-scale public actions would require significant logistical planning and capacity assessment, we should discuss this further. Advocacy & Coalition-Building Build on existing efforts to declassify 9/11-related materials, recognizing bipartisan support and broader impacts of overclassification. Strengthen connections with other 9/11 family groups and allied communities in advance of the 25th anniversary. Explore the possibility of a lobbying or advocacy day in Washington, DC, introducing policymakers and staff to 9/11 family voices. Identify opportunities to connect advocacy around 9/11 health care, accountability, and justice. As a reminder, the Rule of Law Committee did reach out to NYC Mayor Mamdani, if you would like more information, please reach out to the committee co-chairs.    Speakers & Organizational Readiness Update a core list of speakers willing to participate in public events, media, and educational programming related to the 25th commemoration. Reassess and strengthen the Speakers Bureau, including identifying topic areas and comfort levels for public discussion. Existing Assets Review and consider reusing or re-contextualizing existing PT materials, including the film “Steps to Peace” (early 2000s) amongst others that are on our website.

January 11th, 2026 September 11 th  Families for Peaceful Tomorrows’ members observe with great sadness and  concern the 24th anniversary of the Guantanamo Bay detention center. On January 11, 2002,  the first ’War on Terror’ detainees arrived at Camp X-Ray. Unnamed and unknown, these twenty men in orange jumpsuits ushered in an era of extraordinary rendition, terror jingoism, and a lack of accountability that continues to this day. When men in blindfolds arrived at the Guantanamo Naval base, they found themselves in a jurisdictional no man’s land. 24 years later, the world remains blind to the situation of the 15 men who remain at Guantanamo, and the history of how we got here. Furthermore, the five men alleged to have planned and supported the 9/11 attacks have yet to be held legally accountable. Indeed, the Guantanamo Military Commission has not even set a trial date. Extraordinary renditions continue today, but in reverse. Masked, unidentified agents of the U.S. government are kidnapping an untold number of people off the streets of America, often without warrants or charges, and currently with impunity. As the murder of Nicole Good in Minnesota has shown, American citizens are not immune to this lawlessness. Those abducted are swept into a vast network of American jails and prisons, leaving family members and loved ones searching for their whereabouts. Far exceeding the 780 men known to have ever been detained at Guantanamo, tens of thousands have been detained by ICE and Border Patrol since January 2025. Over 97% of the ’War on Terror’ Guantanamo detainees were never charged, instead being rendered yet again to various countries around the world without the men’s input or consent. Today, there are men and women living in the United States being abducted and rendered to a new legal purgatory – CECOT  – the notorious prison in El Salvador, or to other nations around the globe. America has institutionalized a politics of fear. Just as our nation was scared into compliance in the aftermath of 9/11, we are being frightened into numbness now. The terrorists of 2001 were labeled the ‘worst of the worst’ and Americans in general were ready to trade their civil liberties for a fleeting and ambiguous sense of security. Eventually we lost both. The ‘nouveau’ terrorists – identified by the current Administration –  are labeled ‘narcoterrorists’. Yes, there is a vast addiction problem here in the United States. But allowing the Administration to blow up boats off the coasts of Latin America, kill people extra judiciously without charge or due process, and invade Venezuela, is not going to end the opioid epidemic. The real terror is addiction. Not the bogeyman on a speedboat. January 11, 2002, marks an infamous day in U.S. history. It is a day the Bush Administration allowed fear to drive policy. Americans and the current Administration have an opportunity to right the course of history. We must affirm that no person nor political endpoint is above the rule of law. We can choose to firmly reject fear, focusing instead on the hard work of actually solving difficult issues. Peaceful Tomorrows has joined 114 other civil society organizations in calling for the closure of the military detention facility at Guantánamo Bay. READ THE STATEMENT HERE.

December 29, 2025   September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows extends deep condolences to the families of Sidney’s Bondi Beach. We are an organization of well over 200 family members. We formed to turn our grief into actions for peace. Please lean on us as you find helpful, as we have leaned on other family members affected by meaningless violence, as well as our many Friends of Peaceful Tomorrows.   The remarkable acts of bravery, by those there to celebrate Hanukkah and those beyond who were of many ages and faiths and selflessly rushed in to try to end the massacre and aid victims, reminds us of the events of 9/11 as they unfolded. Some of our members lost their loved ones who were responders that day. Among them one of our members lost her son Salman Hamdani, a young first responder who voluntarily rushed in on hearing the news of the strikes on the World Trade Center. His family not only faced his loss, but raw Islamophobia which resulted in his being treated for a long time as a suspect rather than the hero he was, just because their family origin was Pakistani.   The coming together of so many people in local communities and around the world to confront the rise in fear and hate shines a beacon of hope we all need in these dark times. Let us all look towards that light, and help grow it even stronger together, day by day.   The Members of September 11 th  for Peaceful Tomorrows

Upcoming event on Monday, November 10th: 6-8pm Wolff Conference Room 6 East 16th Street, Room D1103, 11th Floor Our longtime Friend of Peaceful Tomorrows, Jeremy Varon, along with the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) will be discussing the history of resistance to the post 9/11 "war on terror" including aspects of Jeremy's book. To register for the event, please visit: https://event.newschool.edu/ourgrief

Our longstanding partners, Charter for Compassion are hosting their annual gala on November 15th 2025. To register for the Annual Gala and Karen Armstrong Humanitarian Award , please visit: https://charterforcompassion.civiplus.net/civicrm/contribute/transact?reset=1&id=27

Those of us who will never see our loved ones again due to their being killed during the attacks of September 11th, 2001 in the United States, can well imagine the pain of those who are suffering the loss of their beloved family members in Gaza and Israel. Losing those we love to extreme violence is a tragic wound shared by families around the world, some of whom have reached out and made our acquaintance. We hope that recent ceasefire in Israel and Palestine will bring true comfort to families across the region as many are reunited. We share profound sadness for the lives continuing to be lost and deep wounds that will not heal.  This remains a time of crisis for Israelis and Palestinians. There is both opportunity and danger as there was for this country after 9/11. At that time, the whole world reached out to us with compassion. Against the will of many of our 9/11 family members, the United States tragically chose the path of revenge and retaliation which led the country into twenty years of  war, compounding the loss of lives by the hundreds of thousands in Afghanistan and Iraq.  Let us hope there were lessons learned from our appalling mistakes. Despite the mounting blood shed, there is a path forward that is already being walked, not by governments but by the people themselves. Let us look to the leadership of those who have lost loved ones during the conflict who have joined hands across all that divides them by forming the Parents Circle Family Forum , whose mission is to end the cycle of loss of life by creating dialogue, reconciliation and peace. Further leadership is offered by Combatants for Peace . Founded jointly by former Israeli soldiers and Palestinian fighters who turned away from conflict and, having joined with multitudes of residents across the region, have committed to "rejecting narratives that dehumanize the other and [who] stand together in solidarity with the shared belief that no one should be exposed to violence, oppression, or injustice." The people of Palestine and Israel have not given up the hope of true and lasting peace. They recognize that peace is tied to justice and that beyond government agreements, trusted relationships must be built through a long journey that connects people to people in joint humanity. They call upon the International community to stand by them in demanding accountability, upholding human rights, and reinforcing the voices of Israelis and Palestinians demanding justice and dignity. In their words "True peace will only take root when it is built by those who live here, with the world as an ally in ensuring that freedom, safety, and equality are no longer negotiable."

September 18th, 2025 https://services.nycbar.org/EventDetail?EventKey=MVA091825 “I wonder how they’re going to handle the torture matter,” Peaceful Tomorrows (PT) member Terry Rockefeller said to her husband, Bill in May 2012. At the time, they were viewing the arraignment of the five men accused of planning and supporting the 9/11 terrorist attacks on closed-circuit TV that was provided for 9/11 victim family members at Ft. Devens in Massachusetts. Another family member there to watch the arraignment, who was not a member of PT overheard and asked, “Do you really think it will matter?” How deeply it mattered was amply demonstrated during a discussion on Thursday evening, 18 September 2025, at the New York City Bar Association on 44 th Street in Manhattan. About 100 people gathered to hear what Terry and John Ryan (an award-winning journalist and founder of lawdragon.com ) had to say about John’s new book, America’s trial: torture and the 9/11 case on Guantánamo Bay. Karen Greenberg, a Future Security Fellow with the New America Foundation, served as moderator. The discussion was organized by Terry, Colleen Kelly (PT co-founder), and Julie Jetton, co-chair of the Association’s Military and Veterans Affairs Committee. Co-sponsors of the event were the Association’s International Human Rights Committee, and September Eleventh Families for Peaceful Tomorrows. What Terry knew and articulated instinctively close to a decade ago, John laid out in systematic, painstaking detail, across more than 400 pages in his brilliant volume. “The inadmissibility of the confessions [due to torture],” he explained during the discussion, “is the issue.” Bush Administration lawyers, pushed by persons like David Addington (V.P. Dick Cheney’s chief of staff, 2005-2009) and Cheney himself, of course, had set the stage for the legal quagmire, constructing justifications for torture defined as “enhanced interrogation” techniques. But the turning point, John insisted, came when the FBI and CIA were talking to those who had been held in other countries at the so-called “black sites,” where prisoners had been subjected to brutal psychological and physical torture hidden from the public eye, but with the full cooperation of the U.S. government. The U.S. government’s attempt to assert that later FBI interrogations without torture could result in “clean” confessions confirming what was coerced through torture became, as John explained, “a dispute between due process and national security.” Karen Greenberg asked him about the standard government narrative that when torture was apparent in CIA interrogations, FBI personnel pulled out of the operation. John said, “it got a lot more complicated,” as “a number of FBI agents were detailed to black sites and effectively became CIA interrogators for a time.” Terry quickly added another complication: “and there was a blacksite at Guantánamo, too.” A portion of the detention center there was used by the CIA as a blacksite in 2003-2004. Some of those being subjected to later, so-called “clean” re-interrogations there recognized their surroundings, further undermining the argument that the confessions were not tainted by torture or coercion. John and Terry discussed the on-again-off-again plea bargain arrangements for the five remaining 9/11 prisoners at Guantánamo who have been charged. The idea was to eliminate the death penalty through guilty pleas after stipulations of fact about the involvement of each of the accused in the attacks. They would also be required to give answers to the questions posed by 9/11 family members. John indicated that some in the Biden Administration did not want the plea bargains to go forward, even before the Secretary of Defense [Lloyd Austin] acted to scupper the deals. Those deals, Terry explained, “the judge and the military commission both said were valid.” Prosecuting attorneys, she added, “said they got everything they wanted, except the death penalty.” John reminded the audience of a fact likely little-known among the American public: the “plea deals and even the negotiations [for them] were started by [members of] the prosecution,” not the defense. The prosecutors too, apparently, knew the impossibility not just of securing the death penalty, but of any conviction that would stand up to appeals, due to torture and coercion of defendants and witnesses. Terry candidly discussed the bitterly competing narratives in her own heart. “My sister was murdered,” she said, “and I wanted a federal trial.” That’s the first narrative. But now, she continued, “Khalid Sheik Mohammed is very possibly going to die an ‘innocent’ man. My government made the trial impossible.” She then closed the session with perhaps the most remarkable statement of all. “About ten years ago,” she explained, “Peaceful Tomorrows got a bunch of new members: children and grandchildren of those who were killed on 9/11.” And they are, she added, “overwhelmingly more concerned about the torture conducted in their names than about the painful realities they faced since they were toddlers. They believe in accountability.” The audience on the 18th was treated to an informative and erudite, but gut-wrenching colloquy. The New York City Bar Association plans to make a recording of the discussion available soon. In the meantime, there’s always John’s book, not to mention Terry’s stories and insights. William V. Hudon Chair of Friends of Peaceful Tomorrows Written 21 September 2025 International Day of Peace