NYN Digital Desk :
A tradition born from the pain and division that followed Sept. 11 returned to New York City on September 10, 2026, as Jews, Muslims, Christians, and people of other backgrounds walked together through Manhattan in the revived Children of Abraham Peace Walk.
The interfaith gathering began at Hebrew Union College, where participants were welcomed with the sound of a shofar. From there, the group moved through Greenwich Village, stopping at Judson Church and the Islamic Center of New York City for prayers, songs, reflections, and remarks from clergy and community leaders. The evening centered on remembrance, but also on the question of how New Yorkers choose to live together 25 years after the attacks.
At the final stop, Mayor Zohran Mamdani addressed the crowd and called for renewed solidarity. “I come here today to not only appreciate that leadership, to not only recognize that solidarity, but also to ask that this evening serve to renew our commitment to love one another,” he said, adding that the city should remain worthy of those killed on Sept. 11 and those who lost their lives in the years after.
The walk also carried special meaning because of its history. Dr. Debbie Almontaser, a co-organizer, and Rabbi Ellen Lippmann, a co-founder of the original effort, helped revive the tradition amid renewed concerns over Islamophobia, antisemitism, and political division. Imam Khalid Latif, director and co-founder of the Islamic Center of New York City, told participants that New Yorkers were still wrestling with questions of belonging, safety, grief, and whether differences would become barriers or bridges.
Imam Muhammad Shahidullah, CEO of STPUSA, also participated in the peace walk and the 9/11 commemorative gathering and solidarity observance at the Islamic center. The event brought together rabbis, imams, priests, elected officials, family members of 9/11 victims, and community leaders in a shared act of remembrance.
The walk offered a public message rooted in memory and inclusion. Twenty-five years after 9/11, participants chose to mark the anniversary not only by mourning those lost, but by standing together across faith traditions and renewing a commitment to peace, dignity, and a more united New York.
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