If Cantor Fitzgerald Was Downsizing Its Bond Department Before 9/11 Hit

Claudia Trevor, her back to the camera, clutching Liz Gallello,
in tears while grasping a flier for Amy O'Doherty

By 800 employees---500 of whom had already been let go, then why were so many young people being hired there as associates in the bond trading department? Didn't they see the handwriting on the wall?

I count 25 names of young people just out of school, who began working in the bond department, and who supposedly died in the September 11th attack.

Joshua Reiss, 23, was a bond trader at Cantor Fitzgerald. "He was 23 and making six figures, after only five months at Cantor" says his father.

Joshua Reiss

Brooke Alexandra Jackman, 23, had just started working as an assistant bond trader in "her new job" "But she was not completely fulfilled at Cantor Fitzgerald. 'She decided there were more important things in life than making money,' said her brother. A master's in social work was her goal, and she was in the process of applying to Berkeley and Columbia to achieve it."

Aaron Horwitz, 24, was a bond broker at Cantor Fitzgerald. "Mr. Horwitz, 24, a bond broker at Cantor Fitzgerald with the almost laughable responsibility of entertaining clients and making them feel like the most important people in the world." The N.Y. Times

Aaron Horwitz

Joshua David Birnbaum, 24, was an assistant bond trader at Cantor Fitzgerald. "DJ Samsson"

Amy O'Doherty 24, Broker's Assistant

Amy O'Doherty

Juan Cisneros 24, Bond Trader

James Gadiel, 23, an assistant trader at Cantor Fitzgerald,

Daniel James Gallagher, 23, Red Bank, NJ, "he worked for the international bond desk."

Charles Francis Xavier Heeran, 23, Institutional equities trader,  "a little more than a year out of college, Mr. Heeran had risen quickly as a bond trader at Cantor Fitzgerald." "He was one of 10 Xavier graduates and 16 twins who disappeared in the World Trade Center on Sept. 11. "
Jake Jagoda 24 "So, at the beginning of the summer, he became a trader at Cantor Fitzgerald." N.Y. Times

Michael Marti 26, Bond Trader

Jennifer Mazzotta, 23, "one of Cantor Fitzgerald's youngest traders."

Marc A Murolo 27, Government Bonds - Vice President

Martin Niederer 23, trader, "began working last year as a securities trader. After graduating from college in 1999, Mr. Niederer fulfilled his dream by landing a job on Wall Street at National Discount Brokers. About a year ago, Mr. Niederer, described by his family as "very outgoing with a tremendous charisma," was recruited by Cantor Fitzgerald."

Joshua Piver "He graduated in 2000 with a degree in economics and went to work at Cantor Fitzgerald." N.Y. Times
James Quinn 24, Trade Support Staff "James, 23, loved the excitement of being a fledgling trader at Cantor Fitzgerald." N.Y. Times

Scott Rohner "at 22, just two paychecks into what, had he been given more time to shine as a foreign exchange trader, might have become a dream job at Cantor Fitzgerald." N.Y. Times
Sean Schielke, 27, formerly of Southbury Conn.Schielke moved to New York City three years ago. He became a stock trader for Cantor Fitzgerald five months ago,

Matthew C. Sellitto 24, Trading Desk "Matthew, 23, who traded his snowboard for Brooks Brothers suits when he went to work for Cantor Fitzgerald in February on the 105th floor of 1 World Trade Center." N.Y. Times

Robert J Shay, Jr. 27, Bond Broker

Saranya Srinuan, 23 bond trader

Andrew Stergiopoulos, 23 "an employee"

Matthew Gilbert Vianna, 23 no job listed

Joshua Vitale 28, Trading Sales Assistant "Mr. Vitale, who had been a wanderer, a party animal and something of a lost soul for much of his 20's, got a job at Cantor Fitzgerald's trading desk."

James J Woods 26, Trader's Assistant

Edward Francis 'Teddy' Maloney, of Darien, was 32 years old, but the bond trader started working at Cantor Fitzgerald about three weeks before 9/11. He grew up in Rye, N.Y., and Greenwich, Conn.
Other young people working in different departments should also be noted for being recent hires:

Ssu-Hui (Vanessa) Wen, 23, programmer

Gary Shamay, 23, a computer specialist working at Cantor since August 2000

Jacquelyn P. Sanchez, 23, compliance assistant

Alok Kumar Mehta, 23, manager, of Hempstead, NY

Aleksandr Valeryerich Ivantsov, 23, computer engineer for eSpeed division, In 2000, Anna Ivantsov became a wife. In 2001, she became a widow.

Eric A. Stahlman, 43, was a broker for Cantor Fitzgerald. He joined the company about 10 weeks before September 11. He died on 9/11

Steven Goldstein, 35, had started work for Cantor Fitzgerald two weeks before September 11. He had started and developed an online trading system, which he sold to Cantor Fitzgerald. He died on 9/11.

Marina Romanova Gertsberg, 25, She joined Cantor Fitzgerald as a junior manager one week before September 11, when she died.

According to one report, Cantor Fitzgerald was in the process of downsizing its bond trading staff by 800 before 9-11 hit, as its proprietary digital technology was advanced. 500 bond traders had already been let go, with another 300 or so to go after the switchover to fully electronic trading took place, which happened on September 13, 2001.

"Although much is made of the family-like nature of Cantor Fitzgerald, it was, and still is, a hard-nosed business. Nearly 500 people had lost their jobs before Sept. 11, and 300 more were about to be axed, made obsolete by the success of their electronic bond-trading network, said Peter DaPuzzo, co-president of equities." Knight Ridder, 'Victimized company tries to get on with business,' Houston Chronicle

But were they laying off just bond traders in the restructuring before 9-11?

Heidi Olson, now chief administrative officer for equities, had left Cantor when the firm downsized just before the attacks; she came back to work the next day. Tom Barbash

Although Tom Barbash doesn't specify, I believe the high-level Olson was let go on the Monday, and rehired on the Wednesday. Business Wire reported on Nov. 6, 2001, that Cantor Fitzgerald Names Stephen M. Bliss as a co-head of the NASDAQ/ OTC stock trading business. Informing readers, without apparent self-consciousness, that

"Mr. Bliss rejoins Cantor's equities business after leaving in May 2001...Steve's rejoining the firm gave the team a sense of continuity in Cantor's relationships and way of doing business," said Philip Marber, head of Cantor's U.S. equities business.

Did Bliss just take the summer off?

Sean Schielke, 27, formerly of Southbury A 1992 graduate of Pomperaug High School in Southbury, Schielke moved to New York City three years ago. He became a stock trader for Cantor Fitzgerald five months ago, working on the 105th floor of the trade center, said his father, Ken Schielke. The Hartford Courant, 'Focus: Connecticut Victims,' September 17, 2001





Scott Schertzer, 28, worked in the human resources department of Cantor Fitzgerald. On September 10, he felt terrible because he had to give layoff notices to a number of co-workers, but this saved their lives. He died.

Aaron Horwitz

Meryl Gordon, writing in New York Magazine, expands upon a luck factor in Howard Lutnick's Second Life,

"The luckiest people in New York? The twenty Cantor Fitzgerald staff members let go on Monday, September 10, most of whom have loyally returned to the firm."

In a November 12, 2001 USAToday article, Cantor battles back from tragedy, by Noelle Knox, Lutnick plays his new hand, telling us God dealt it to him

"Bond trading had been shifting to electronic trading even before the attacks, and Lutnick says it is "unlikely" he will replace his bond brokers. "We are not going to try to get back to who we were," he says. "We are going to take the cards that have been dealt to us. Take the assets we still have, which are incredible, and just play a different way."

Mother of Joshua Reiss

"The Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem has so far received the names of 4,000 Israelis believed to have been in the areas of the World Trade Center and the Pentagon at the time of the attack." -- Shimon Perez September 11th, 2001

From an article entitled "Hundreds of Israelis missing in WTC attack" which appeared in the September 12th internet edition of the Jerusalem Post.

The United States State Department posted the following information:

The following partial list of 76 Jewish World Trade Center victims includes many from companies that were located at or above where the planes hit. These include Cantor Fitzgerald, which lost 658 employees, Marsh & McLellan, which lost 295 employees, Aon Corporation, which lost 176 employees, and others. (Out of the 76, the 60 listed here were Cantor employees.)

Lee Alan Adler, 48, was a computer designer at Cantor Fitzgerald. Mr. Adler was a member of the board of trustees of Temple Beth Ahm in Springfield, New Jersey, where memorial services were held for him. He was married to his wife. Alice, for 15 years and had a 12-year old daughter. His daughter wrote in a February 22, 2002 message on an internet memorial site, "Daddy I love you!"

Joshua Aron, 29, was an equities trader at Cantor Fitzgerald. Joshua's father, Barry Aron, says, "Not a minute goes by in a day that I don't think about Josh. ... It's like part of you being ripped out and you can't replace it." Barry talks to his son's widow, Rachel daily. Mr. Aron and Rachel would have celebrated their first wedding anniversary on September 16, 2001. Memorial services were held at the Oceanside Jewish Center in Oceanside, New York.

Michael Edward Asher, 53, was vice president and senior technology architect at Cantor Fitzgerald. On September 10, 2001, he talked with his son Jeremy, 18, about rebuilding an old Jaguar automobile. Mr. Asher was also survived by his wife Dana and a daughter, Rachel, 16. A memorial service was held for him at the Monroe Temple of Liberal Judaism in Monroe, New York.

Debbie S. Bellows, 30, was an executive assistant at Cantor Fitzgerald. She was survived by her husband Sean, who wrote, "Debbie meant the world to me. ... My heart will always be filled with the love and beauty that filled her soul." A memorial service was held for Ms. Bellows at the Westchester Reform Temple in Scarsdale, New York.

Alvin Bergsohn, 48, was an equities trader at Cantor Fitzgerald. From a picture posted on the Internet, it appears that he was survived by a wife and two sons. A service was held for him at the South Baldwin Jewish Center in Baldwin Harbor, New York.

Joshua David Birnbaum, 24, was an assistant bond trader at Cantor Fitzgerald. His best friend, Leehe Matalon, wrote, "Josh's smile always managed to light up the faces of those he surrounded himself with. He had a special charm ...." He was survived by his parents, Sam and Marcel, and a sister, Jill. A memorial service was held for him at the Sephardic Congregation of Long Beach in Long Beach, New York.

Kevin Sanford Cohen, 28, was a computer support person for Cantor Fitzgerald. He was survived by his parents, Barry and Marcia, and a brother Neil. His mother said that when she had asked him why he didn't slow down, he replied, "Mom, I believe in living life to the fullest." A memorial service was held for him at Neve Shalom in Metuchen, New Jersey.

Michael Allen Davidson, 27, was an equity options trader at Cantor Fitzgerald. A co-worker named Jay wrote, "He could have been the nicest, most sensitive person I have ever met. Everyone loves him." He was engaged to be married the following July to Dominique DeNardo. Mr. Davidson was survived by his mother Ellen. A memorial service was held for him at Congregation Beth Israel in Scotch Plains, New Jersey.

Steven Mark Fogel, 40, was vice president and assistant general counsel for Cantor Fitzgerald. He was survived by his wife Kori, a son and a daughter. A memorial service was held for him at Temple Emanuel in Westfield, New York.

Morton H. Frank, 31, was an insurance equities broker at Cantor Fitzgerald. In college, he was a member of the Jewish fraternity Alpha Epsilon Pi. A childhood friend said he had "a fun-loving spirit and a wonderful heart." He had married his wife Jessica 14 months before 9/11.

Arlene Eva Fried, 49, was vice president and assistant general counsel at Cantor Fitzgerald. She met her future husband Ken when she was 15 and he was 17. When the youngest of their three daughters entered kindergarten, Arlene went back to school to study law. Her parents, Nicholas and Ronnie Joseph, were both survivors of Nazi concentration camps; her mother had been at Auschwitz. They wrote, in a October 13, 2003 internet tribute, "As Arlene Joseph Fried's parents, the loss is indescribable; a daughter with indescribable warmth and love toward her whole family and friends -- losing her left an unhealable wound in our hearts." A memorial service was held for her at Temple Beth Shalom in Roslyn, New York.

Douglas B. Gardner, 39, was a vice chairman at Cantor Fitzgerald. He was survived by his wife, Jennifer, and two children. Memorial services were held at the Stephen Weiss Free Synagogue in New York City.

Steven Paul Geller, 52, was an institutional trader for Cantor Fitzgerald. Mr. Geller loved to cook with his daughter, Hali, 12. He was also survived by his wife, Debra. A memorial service was held for him at Congregation Rodeph Sholom in New York City.

Marina Romanova Gertsberg, 25, was one of 16 Russian-speaking Jews who perished in the 9/11 attacks, according to World Congress of Russian Jewry. Her family had emigrated from Odessa, Ukraine to the United States when Marina was four so that her father would not have to serve with Soviet forces in Afghanistan. She joined Cantor Fitzgerald as a junior manager one week before September 11. A memorial service for her was held at the Manhattan Beach Jewish Center in Brooklyn, New York.

Jeffrey Grant Goldflam, 48, was senior vice president and chief financial officer at Cantor Fitzgerald. Mr. Goldflam was survived by his wife Risa and two children. He was a track and soccer star in high school. Robert Kayton, a college acquaintance, remembered Mr. Goldflam as "easygoing, friendly, and helpful." A memorial service was held for him at Temple Beth Tohar in Melville, New York.

Monica Goldstein, 25, was an accounts specialist at Cantor Fitzgerald. She spent long hours at her older sister's house, caring for her two young nephews and visiting with her sister. Her father said, "Her smile and her laugh were infectious. ... The loss has totally changed our lives. We'll never be the same anymore. ... She was a very, very special person." Ms. Goldstein was engaged to be married in September 2002. A memorial service was held for her at the Congregation B'nai Israel in Bay Terrace, New York.

Steven Goldstein, 35, had started work for Cantor Fitzgerald two weeks before September 11. Working in his basement, he had started and developed an online trading system, which he sold to Cantor Fitzgerald. His wife said his motivation was to make a lot of money and retire so he could spend time with his family. She said he loved nothing more than spending time with his one-year old son Harris and three-year old daughter Hanna. Mr. Goldstein had been a member of the Jewish fraternity Alpha Epsilon Pi when at the University of Michigan.
Marcia Hoffman, 52, was vice president and senior technical architect at Cantor Fitzgerald. A former child-welfare worker, she switched to a career in computers. She was survived by her husband, Jim, and her daughter, Lara. A memorial service was held for her at the Kane Street Synagogue in New York City.
Aaron Horwitz, 24, was a bond broker at Cantor Fitzgerald. He was described as a showman who loved entertaining people, someone who "seized souls, not letting go until he made them merry." A memorial service was held for him at the Brotherhood Synagogue in New York City.

Daniel Ilkanayev, 36, was a senior programming analyst at Cantor Fitzgerald. Mr. Ilkanayev was born in Baku, Azerbaijan, in the former Soviet Union. He was one 16 Russian-speaking Jews who perished in the 9/11 attacks, according to World Congress of Russian Jewry.

Brooke Alexandra Jackman, 23, had just started working as an assistant bond trader at Cantor Fitzgerald. On September 10, 2001, she had told her mother she was applying to Columbia University's School of Social Work because "there is more to life than making money." A crowd of 1,000 to 1,500 attended her memorial service at the Jewish Center in Oyster Bay, New York. She had volunteered a community soup kitchen and a thrift shop for cancer patients.

Aaron Jacobs, 27, was a vice president at Cantor Fitzgerald. He was making plans for a honeymoon, perhaps to Africa, with his bride-to-be, Jeannine McAteer. He had backpacked through Europe, taught English in Mexico, and climbed a volcano in Greece. His dream was to retire at an early age and travel. He also taught job skills to welfare recipients. A memorial service for him was held at Temple Emanuel in Newton, Massachusetts.

Shari Ann Kandell, 27, was a support staffer at Cantor Fitzgerald. She loved the theater and was studying for a degree in English in the evenings. Her father said, "the overwhelming and outstanding quality that Shari showed all her life was her total selflessness." Many at her memorial service at Temple Beth Rishon in Wyckoff, New Jersey spoke of her giving priority to the needs of others.

Andrew Keith Kates, 37, was a senior managing director of Cantor Fitzgerald. He was survived by his wife Emily Terry, two daughters, Hannah, 5, and Lucy, 3, and a son, Henry, 1. His wife said that although Mr. Kates was a serious bike rider, swimmer, and runner, having run the New York Marathon in three hours and 15 minutes, his family came first. Every Saturday morning, the children would crowd into bed with Mr. Kates and his wife. A memorial service for him was held at Congregation Rodeph Sholom in New York City.

Peter Rodney Kellerman, 35, was a vice president and equities trader at Cantor Fitzgerald. He was survived by his wife Robi. Mr. Kellerman had a doctor's appointment on the morning of September 11, but came to work when the appointment was rescheduled. Friend Jon Bott wrote how he misses Mr. Kellerman's "infectious humor, your wonderful wit and how comfortable and easy you made people feel." A memorial service was held for him at the Park Avenue Synagogue in New York City.

Mary Jo Kimelman, 34, had worked for Cantor Fitzgerald for 13 years. Friends and family say she was an extremely loyal, outgoing person who wrote poetry and enjoyed traveling. Her boyfriend, Thierry LeBras, said she had a special talent of listening to people she had just met, getting them to open up about their lives. A memorial service was held for her at Temple Emanu-El in New York City.

Glenn Davis Kirwin, 40, was a senior vice president at Cantor Fitzgerald. He was also an avid cyclist, runner, golfer, and skier, who would go on 80-kilometer bicycle rides. His wife, Joan, says he always found time to play with his sons, Miles, 10, and Troy, 7, even after long workdays. A memorial service was held for him at Westchester Reform Temple in Scarsdale, New York.

Alan Kleinberg, 39, was just days away from transferring to a different Cantor Fitzgerald office on September 11. He was survived by his wife, Mindy, a three-year old son, Sam, a seven-year old daughter, Lauren, and a nine-year old son, Jacob. His mother said Mr. Kleinberg limited his outside interests so he could spend more time with his family. A memorial service was held for him at the Jewish Center in East Brunswick, New Jersey.

Karen Joyce Klitzman, 38, worked at Cantor Fitzgerald. She and her twin sister Donna spoke with each other every day on the phone. Karen had taught English for two years in Macao and Beijing, China, and traveled in Siberia and throughout the Middle East. A memorial service was held for her at Stephen Weiss Free Synagogue in New York City.

Nicholas Craig Lassman, 28, was a computer technician for Cantor Fitzgerald. Mr. Lassman studied computers after several years of teaching golf in Florida. He also taught himself how to play the guitar and learned Russian and German so he could read books in those languages. He spoke to his parents, Ira and Laura Lassman, almost every day. A memorial service for Mr. Lassman was held at Temple Beth-El in Cloister, New Jersey.

Steven Barry Lillianthal, 38, was a mortgage bond broker for Cantor Fitzgerald. He was survived by his wife Adina, 4-year old twins, Emma and Gabriel, and a three-month old son, Sam. A memorial service was held for Mr. Lillianthal at Temple B'nai Abraham in Livingston, New Jersey.

Stuart T. Meltzer, 32, was an energy broker at Cantor Fitzgerald. He had two young sons; the eldest, Jacob, was four years old when he died. His brother, Larry, said he talked with Stuart at least five days a day, often discussing sports. A memorial service for Mr. Meltzer was held at Temple Emeth in Brookline, Massachusetts.
Nancy Morgenstern, 32, was an administrative assistant at Cantor Fitzgerald. She was an Orthodox Jew whose passions were cycling and skiing. She would bring kosher food and the pots and pans needed to stay kosher on cycling racing trips. In a website dedicated to her memory, her mother wrote, "Nancy, I miss you more than mere words can express. Not only were you my daughter, but you were also my best friend." A co-worker described Nancy as "one of the most thoughtful, disciplined, funny, crazy, independent women I ever knew." Fifty-eight friends wrote tributes to her on her memorial website.

Laurence M. Polatsch, 32, was a partner in equities sales at Cantor Fitzgerald. A prankster, Mr. Polatsch donned a tuxedo and crashed the 2000 wedding of celebrities Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas. He ate with actor Jack Nicholson before security guards asked him to leave. Mr. Polatsch's mother said he once flew back from college to present her with flowers on her birthday. Recently, Mr. Polatsch had resumed a relationship with childhood sweetheart Marni Wasserman, and they were expected to marry. Guttermann Funeral Home in Woodbury, New York confirmed that Mr. Polatsch was Jewish.

Joshua Reiss, 23, was a bond trader at Cantor Fitzgerald. An enterprising young man, Joshua began delivering newspapers at age 10, worked in the family business before attending college, and worked full-time as a waiter while also being a full-time student with a double major at college. More than 1500 people attended his memorial service at Adath Israel Synagogue in Lawrenceville, New Jersey. On August 27, 2002, his mother wrote on the internet, "We miss you and still want you to come home. I will always have a void in my soul."

Brooke David Rosenbaum, 31, was supervisor in the overseas division of Cantor Fitzgerald. He was sick on September 10, but went to work the next day because, according to a friend, he felt that without him, "the whole place would fall apart." He was survived by his mother, Dorothy. A memorial service was held for him at the Jewish Center in Rego Park, New York.

Sheryl Lynn Rosenbaum, 33, was an accountant and partner at Cantor Fitzgerald. Her father described her as the "glue" of their family. She was survived by her husband, Mark, and two children, aged 3 months and 17 months. A memorial service was held for her at Temple Har Shalom in Warren, New Jersey.

Lloyd Daniel Rosenberg, 31, was a bond trader at Cantor Fitzgerald. He was survived by his wife Glenna and three daughters, Samantha, 5, Kaylee, 3, and Alyssa, 1. His wife said that "Lloyd's passion was being a ‘daddy.' His girls were his pride and joy. I will forever miss the Saturday mornings when I would sneak downstairs and watch him reading them a book or playing ‘horsie.'" A memorial service was held for him at Temple Shalom in Aberdeen, New Jersey.

Andrew Ira Rosenblum, 45, was a broker at Cantor Fitzgerald. He married his wife, Jill, at Temple Hillel in North Woodmere, New Jersey, and their sons Jordan and Kyle were 14 and 11, respectively, when their father died. Mr. Rosenblum's friend, Steve Cohen, said, "Andy was the kind of guy that had many circles of friends and many dear friends within each circle."

Joshua M. Rosenblum, 28, was an assistant trader at Cantor Fitzgerald. He was only four days away from marrying colleague Gina Hawryluk on September 11. Ms. Hawryluk stayed home from work that day to plan their wedding. Mr. Rosenblum and co-workers smashed out windows with computers on the 104th floor to let smoke escape. A memorial service was held for him at Temple Beth El in Cedarhurst, New York.

Richard Rosenthal, 50, was vice president of finance at Cantor Fitzgerald. Mr. Rosenthal was treasurer of the Jewish Center in Fair Lawn, New Jersey and also treasurer of the Dysautonomia Foundation. His son Evan, 18 years old when Mr. Rosenthal died, suffers from dysautonomia, a disorder of the nervous system that confines him to a wheelchair. Evan has needed a feeding tube to eat since he was 2. Friends say Mr. Rosenthal "was always with [Evan]." His younger son Seth, 15 years old when Mr. Rosenthal died, said, following September 11, "I'm going to keep calling him on the cell phone until he answers."

Michael Craig Rothberg, 39, was a managing director for Cantor Fitzgerald. Mr. Rothberg was an avid skier, boater, and jogger. Described as "modest and unassuming" and extremely loyal to his co-workers, Mr. Rothberg raised money for multiple sclerosis in a bike-a-thon and for a friend who had cancer. A memorial service was held for him at the Temple Sholom in Greenwich, Connecticut.

Eric Sand, 36, was an equity trader at cantor Fitzgerald. Mr. Sand, a talented musician who had once pursued a career in music, had more recently played guitar for a special audience -- his young son, Aaron, who was 18 months old when Mr. Sand died. Mr. Sand's wife, Michelle, said he would rush home from work to spend as much time as possible with his son. A memorial service was held for Mr. Sand at Congregation B'nai Yisrael in Armonk, New York.

Scott Schertzer, 28, worked in the human resources department of Cantor Fitzgerald. On September 10, he felt terrible because he had to give layoff notices to a number of co-workers, but this saved their lives. Mr. Schertzer was an excellent soccer and baseball player who could bench press 102 kilograms, even though he weighed only 70 kilograms. A memorial service was held for him at Congregation B'nai Ahavath Shalom in Union, New Jersey. On December 5, 2001, his mother, father and sister posted this note on an internet memorial site: "We can never say ‘Good-bye.' You will always be with us. We love you and will always love you."

Ian Schneider, 45, was a senior managing director for Cantor Fitzgerald. His lifelong friend Howie Kessler said, "This guy loved life. No one danced harder at a party or shouted louder at a ball game." His wife Cheryl said that when he arrived home, his three children Rachel, 11, Jake, 9, and Sophie, 7, fought for the right to jump first into his arms. Almost 2000 people attended Mr. Schneider's memorial service at Temple Sharey Teflio-Israel in South Orange, New Jersey. Many were families of the children he coached on soccer, softball, and baseball teams, a chore he undertook so he could spend more time with his children.

John Burkhart Schwartz, 40, was a bond broker for Cantor Fitzgerald. A memorial service was held for him at Temple Emanu-El in New York City.

Jason Sekzer, 31, was a vice president at Cantor Fitzgerald. His father, Will Sekzer, who is active in a fraternal society of Jewish New York policemen, described his son as "handsome, smart, humble, and polite." Mr. Sekzer had married Nastasha Makshanov eight months before he died. On September 10, the photographer called to say that their album of wedding photographs was ready. A memorial service was held for him at East Midwood Jewish Center in Brooklyn, New York.

Allan Abraham Shwartzstein, 37, was a managing director and partner at Cantor Fitzgerald. "He was about the most considerate person I knew," longtime friend Mark Madoff said. One thousand people attended the memorial service for him at Temple Beth El in Chappaqua, New York. He was survived by his wife, Amy, a five-year old daughter, Jessica, and a four-year old son, Matthew.

Kenneth Alan Simon, 34, was an equities trader for Cantor Fitzgerald. He and his wife, Karen, had adopted a daughter, Maya, who was 10 months old when he died. "You should have seen his face when he looked into her big brown eyes for the first time," his wife said. "He just melted." The Simons had plans to adopt more children. Mr. Simon called his wife after the plane hit to say that he was going to look for his father, Arthur Simon, who worked 11 stories below him. A memorial service was held for both father and son at Temple Beth El in Spring Valley, New Jersey.

William E. Spitz, 49, was a government bonds broker at Cantor Fitzgerald. He had a degree in elementary education. A memorial service was held for him at Oceanside Jewish Center in Oceanside, New Jersey.

Eric A. Stahlman, 43, was a broker for Cantor Fitzgerald. He joined the company about 10 weeks before September 11. He was survived by his wife, Blanca, who is from Ecuador, a seven-year old daughter, Allison, and a four-year old son, Jacob. Long friendships and close family ties were the things he cherished most, family members said. A memorial service was held for him at Temple Beth El in Papchoque, New York.

Alexander Robbins Steinman, 32, was a vice president in equities sales for Cantor Fitzgerald. Mr. Steinman had attended the wedding in Italy of lifelong friend Richard Diamond on the weekend before September 11. He then rushed home to get back to work, which he loved. "Alex had an incredible sense of humor and he got as much out of life as anybody possibly could," Mr. Diamond said. He said Mr. Steinman had been "the life of the party" at his wedding in Italy. A memorial service was held for Mr. Steinman at Temple Israel in Staten Island, New York.

Kenneth W. Van Auken, 47, was a bond trader at Cantor Fitzgerald. He was survived by his wife Lorie, and two children, Matthew and Sarah. His wife says Mr. Van Auken was her "rock," the loving spirit in her life, and someone who was always willing to interrupt what he was doing to have some fun with his children. He was also a skilled carpenter, building a deck, bookcases, and other projects around his home. A memorial service was held for him at Temple B'nai Shalom in East Brunswick, New Jersey.

David Thomas Weiss, 50, was vice president and deputy general counsel for Cantor Fitzgerald. He was survived by his wife Marcia and daughter Gina. He was described as a "very private man with a kind, sweet and generous heart and ... above all else ... limitless devotion to this family." A memorial service was held for him at the Brotherhood Synagogue in New York City.

Michael Wittenstein, 34, was a bond broker at Cantor Fitzgerald. He was scheduled to marry his fiancée, Carrie Bernstein, on October 20, 2001. His uncle, Mark Hershkowitz, said he had thought many times after the first World Trade Center bombing in 1993 about buying Michael a parachute, and wishes he had. "Michael was one of those people who always had a smile, always seemed happy at whatever he was doing," relative Warren Treuhaft wrote. As in the Jewish tradition, Mr. Wittenstein was buried with some of his possessions.

Marc Scott Zeplin, 33, was an equities trader for Cantor Fitzgerald. He was survived by his wife, Debra, and two sons, Ryan, 3, and Ethan, 10 months old. Mr. Zeplin once dreamed of becoming a professional sportscaster, having broadcast hockey games at the University of Michigan. His friends formed the Marc S. Zeplin Foundation, which helps children who lost a parent or loved one on September 11. A memorial service for Mr. Zeplin was held at the Jewish Community Center in Harrison, New York.

Charles A. Zion, 54, was a senior vice president at Cantor Fitzgerald. Mr. Zion was survived by his wife, Carole, and his 16-year old son, Zachary. "He was a great guy and a great husband," his wife said. A memorial service for Mr. Zion, who was the son of a rabbi, was held at the Greenwich Reformed Synagogue in Greenwich, Connecticut.

A List of 142 Cantor Fitzgerald Employees Under Age 30


Paul Andrew Acquaviva 29
Donald L. Adams 28
Shannon Lewis Adams 25
Joanne Ahladiotis 27
Laura Angilletta 23
Peter Paul Apollo 26
Frank Thomas Aquilino 26
Joshua Aron 29
Colleen Ann Barkow 26
Guy Barzvi 29
Alysia Basmajian 23
Bryan Craig Bennett 25
Dominick J. Berardi 25
Bella Bhukhan 24
Joshua David Birnbaum 24
Balewa Albert Blackman 26
Craig Michael Blass 27
Martin Boryczewski 29
Shawn Edward Bowman Jr. 28
Michelle Renee Bratton 23
Lloyd Brown 28
Brandon J. Buchanan 24
Matthew J. Burke, 28,
Brian Joseph Cachia 26
Richard M. Caggiano 25
Jonathan N. Cappello 23
Charles Lawrence (Chip) Chan 23
Swede Joseph Chevalier 26
Frances Ann Cilente 26
Nestor Andre Cintron 26
Juan Pablo Alvarez Cisneros 24
Kevin Sanford Cohen 28
Joseph A. Corbett 28
Michael S. Costello 27
Jeannine Marie Damiani-Jones 28
Michael Allen Davidson 27
Monique E. DeJesus 28
Joseph A. Della Pietra 24
Douglas Frank DiStefano 24
Neil Dollard 28
Joseph M. Doyle 25
Joseph Anthony Eacobacci 26
Paul Robert Eckna 28
Samantha Egan 24
Fanny M. Espinoza 29
Judy Hazel Fernandez, 27,
Anne Marie Sallerin Ferreira 29
Claudia Alicia Martinez Foster 26
James Andrew Gadiel 23
Grace Galante 29
Daniel James Gallagher 23
Giovanna (Genni) Gambale 27
Francesco Garfi 29
Rocco Gargano 28
Terence D. Gazzani 24
Marina R. Gertsberg 25
Monica Goldstein 25
Michael Edward Gould 29
Scott Hazelcorn 29
Charles Francis Xavier Heeran 23
Mark D. Hindy 28
Michele L. Hoffman 27
Michael Horn 27
Aaron Horwitz 24
Zuhtu Ibis 25
Christopher N. Ingrassia 28
Todd A. Isaac 29
Aleksandr Valeryerich Ivantsov 23
Brooke Alexandra Jackman 23
Aaron Jacobs 27
Jake Jagoda 24
Shari Kandell 27
Douglas D. Ketcham 27
Danielle Kousoulis 29
Ganesh K. Ladkat 27
Christopher Randall Larrabee 26
Nicholas C. Lassman 28
Eugen Lazar 27
Alexander Lygin 28
Michael A. Marti 26
Jennifer Mazzotta 23
Darryl Leron McKinney 26
Robert C. McLaughlin Jr. 29
Alok Kumar Mehta 23
Wilbert Miraille 29
Lynne Irene Morris 22
Peter James Mulligan 28
Michael Joseph Mullin 27
Marc A. Murolo 28
Frank Naples 29
Manika Narula 22
Francis J. Nazario 28
Martin Niederer 23
Michele Ann Nelson 27
Brian Felix Nunez 29
Amy O'Doherty 23
Jason Douglas Oswald 28
Todd Joseph Ouida 25
Davin Peterson 25
Kaleen E. Pezzuti 28
Josh Piver 23
Beth Ann Quigley 25
James Francis Quinn 23
Gregg Reidy 26
Joshua Scott Reiss 23
John Armand Reo 28
Raymond J. Rocha 29
Scott Rohner 22
Eric Thomas Ropiteau 24
Angela Rosario 27
Joshua M. Rosenblum 28
Christina Sunga Ryook 25
Thierry Saada 27
Jude Elias Safi 24
Carlos Samaniego 29
Jacquelyn P. Sanchez 23
Maria Theresa Santillan 27
Vladimir Savinkin 21
Scott M. Schertzer 28
Sean Schielke 27
Matthew Carmen Sellitto 23
Khalid M. Shahid 25
Gary Shamay 23
Robert J. Shay Jr. 27
Peter A. Siracuse 29
Wendy L. Small 26
Saranya Srinuan 23
Andrew Stergiopoulos 23
Brian J. Terrenzi 29
Robert Frank Tipaldi 25
Felix Antonio Vale 29
Ivan Vale 27
Matthew Gilbert Vianna 23
Joshua S. Vitale 28
Scott Jeffrey Weingard 29
Vincent Wells 22
Ssu-Hui (Vanessa) Wen 23
Adam S. White 26
John C. Willett 29
Brian Patrick Williams 29
James J. Woods 26
Martin M. Wortley 29

According to research posted at http://www.scribd.com/Ersun_Warncke_6762
by user Ersun Warncke, apparently the business/economy reporter for the
[Oregon] Salem-News, where Warncke cross references the CNN 9/11 Memorial Victims list with the SSA Death Index, only 100 Cantor Fitzgerald employees are in the SSA Death Index:

Cantor Fitzgerald Employees with Listings in the SSN Death Index
Vincent Abate 40
Daniel Thomas Afflitto 32
David Agnes 46
Joanne Ahladiotis 27
Guy Barzvi 29
Dominick J. Berardi 25
Alvin Bergsohn 48
Michelle Renee Bratton 23
Brandon J. Buchanan 24
Keith James Burns 39
Brian Joseph Cachia 26
Scott W. Cahill 30
Thomas J. Cahill 36
Dominick E. Calia 40
Sandra Patricia Campbell 45
John A. Candela 42
Jonathan N. Cappello 23
Leonard M. Castrianno 30
Charles Lawrence (Chip) Chan 23
Swede Joseph Chevalier 26
Juan Pablo Alvarez Cisneros 24
Joseph J. Coppo Jr. 47
Michael S. Costello 27
Thomas A. Damaskinos 33
Michael Allen Davidson 27
Monique E. DeJesus 28
Stephen P. Dimino 48
Joseph M. Doyle 25
Paul Robert Eckna 28
William J. Erwin 30
Michael Bradley Finnegan 37
Timothy J. Finnerty 33
Claudia Alicia Martinez Foster 26
Thomas Edward Galvin 32
John T. Gnazzo 32
Michael Gogliormella 43
Andrew H. Golkin 30
Michael Edward Gould 29
Donald H. Gregory 62
Kevin James Hannaford 32
William Ward Haynes 35
Erik Hans Isbrandtsen 30
Jake Jagoda 24
Shari Kandell 27
Andrew Kates 37
Bojan Kostic 34
Ganesh K. Ladkat 27
Robin Larkey 48
Gary H. Lee 62
Jorge Luis Leon 43
Steven B. Lillianthal 38
Craig Damian Lilore 30
Alexander Lygin 28
Michael Lynch 34
Sean Lynch 34
Thomas Anthony Mahon 37
Edward Mazzella Jr. 62
Kaaria Mbaya 39
Darryl Leron McKinney 26
Sean Peter McNulty 30
William J. Meehan Jr. 49
Alok Kumar Mehta 23
David R. Meyer 57
Corey Peter Miller 34
Michael Matthew Miller 39
Nancy Morgenstern 32
Lynne Irene Morris 22
Ann Nicole Nelson 30
Brian Novotny 33
Vinod K. Parakat 34
Robert Emmett Parks Jr. 47
Jon A. Perconti 32
Joshua Scott Reiss 23
Leo A. Roberts 44
Antonio Augusto Tome Rocha 34
Eric Thomas Ropiteau 24
Andrew I. Rosenblum 45
Richard David Rosenthal 50
Christina Sunga Ryook 25
Carlos Samaniego 29
Maria Theresa Santillan 27
Scott M. Schertzer 28
Matthew Carmen Sellitto 23
Gary Shamay 23
Karl Trumbull Smith 44
Ruben Solares 51
Corina Stan 31
Richard H. Stewart Jr. 35
Anthony Tempesta 38
Walter (Wally) P. Travers Jr. 44
Michael Patrick Tucker 40
John Damien Vaccacio 30
Felix Antonio Vale 29
Matthew Gilbert Vianna 23
Robert A. Vicario 40
Joshua S. Vitale 28
Peter M. West 54
Adam S. White 26
Brian Patrick Williams 29
James J. Woods 26

UPDATED BLOG: Organizing the Work Product on 14th Street: Mourn-sims or Grief-sims?

My God. Not only did they invent the victims, they invented the mourners too! Can we as the ultimate observers be real then?

The following three images are said to be of victim memorials, assembled with missing persons posters, at different locations on 14th Street in New York City, following the attacks of September 11th 2001. They are attributed to three different photographers: B G Karney [on 14th Street], James Sullivan [on 14th Street and Avenue C], and Olga Maryschuk [at SW corner of 14th St. and Avenue A] and are all found online in the 911digitalarchive.org galleries.

For quite a while now, I've taken Mr. James Sullivan at his word when he says he photographed the mural "on Avenue C and 14th Street." Since the two other images are very similar, but in some respects, are mutually exclusive, I arrived at the erroneous conclusion they all represented internal fabrications, where the various image elements were being manipulated using computer morphing technology. Such a default analysis is all the rage in certain nihilistic, 9/11 research circles.

For instance, in one image, the peaked gold roof of a skyscraper sits before the two trade center towers, but in another image, the same gold-roofed building sits beside only one trade tower, with the other details obscured or shaded out. This putative scene is next to a doorway on the right, rather than a further mural scene as the alternate image has it, which makes the semi-permanent street architecture they share inexplicably at odds.

In another point of comparison, a red heart with white lettering is seen painted high up in two of the images---but in one, it's to the right of a doorway; in the other, it's located to the right of a black-painted air ventilator. Such irreconcilability was like a bottomless pit of trickery, to the point, I even began to imagine girls dressed in Catholic-school uniforms were standing in ways impossible for mammalians, given the field of depth.

My conclusion was these various digital elements contained visual vocabulary pieces that were being morphed in an illusory ruse. The only counterargument I had---perhaps---was whoever had created the depicted work, might have made also made a copy, using similar iconographic elements of gold-roofed towers and red hearts, but assembled it in different ways, in at least two locations along 14th Street---but then that begged the next question, why?

"Memorial on 14th street in Lower Manhattan. This memorial was in honor of family and friends lost in the attacks on 9/11." Cite as: B G Karney, Image #2047, The September 11 Digital Archive, 9 August 2003, above.

"I took this picture on 9/18 after having revisited Ground Zero. It is a mural on Avenue C and 14th Street in Manhattan. I was particularly struck by the eerie irony of the traffic sign." Cite as: James Sullivan, Image #214, The September 11 Digital Archive, 12 April 2002, above.

"Sept. 17, 2001. Schoolgirls on the SW corner of 14th St. and Avenue A, NYC.
"Did you know anyone there?" "No, but my mom knew a lady cop." Cite as: Olga Maryschuk, Image #199, The September 11 Digital Archive, 3 April 2002, above.

Finally, however, I spotted a telling detail in one image, which reorganized my awareness and put to rest this line of questioning. First, Mr. James Sullivan has made a simple mistake in saying he took the image at a location on Avenue C. Whether he deliberately was mistaken, in order to confuse questioners like myself, only leads to the dangerous shoals of an irrational debate. Mr. Sullivan will be unable to mislead me again.

Given the paranoia that new technologies are engendering as they are misused to affect our perception functions, I got caught up in this new game of guessing real motives and tactics, while living in a world made up of fakery elements. I understand how high the stakes are, when one side is continually operating in what amount to the "crime of the millennium," which isn't an exaggeration to say, given September 11th, and the illegal and immoral wars which stem from it.

My insights into the image record only came about after I'd searched and found some higher resolution versions of the images to work with. We 9/11 truth and justice questlings are all accustomed to the substandard fare fed us, the attributes which we accept without fear. But don't forget to ask for better service and we just might get it. I remain humbled and dependent on the source who can provide me with more of such high-resolution goodies. I definitely know it is a power greater than myself at work!

Click on the Karney image above---you should be able to see, as I did, in the oblique view of the red heart, the clear white lettering, which spells out the inverted words "Crying Hearts." For a bonus point, note the inverted numbers on the edge of the adjacent window awning, which are "0905." This is not the phone numbers for the dry cleaning business there. But rather, they are the last four digits of the phone number for the pizza joint that neighbors the mural site on the other side. This means the Sullivan image is just a flipped, mirror image of the other two scenes, with the numbers and letters reading backwards, in the style of L. DiVinci. Some plot thickening perhaps?

I found the location these images represent, over at Google Maps. The address is 224 Avenue A, and both the businesses to either side of the one-story brick structure are the same in Google Maps, as they were when the photographs were taken in 2001.

A scholarly article written by Barbara Kirshenblatt- Gimblett, Kodak Moments, Flashbulb Memories: Reflections on 9/11, gives us specific information about how this mural site came about.

"Memorial wall by graffiti artist Chico, on Avenue A at 14th Street, lower Manhattan. Chico, a celebrated graffiti artist who lives on the Lower East Side, immediately painted this memorial wall to honor the victims of the attack. Neighbors spontaneously brought candles, flowers, pictures, toys, and religious icons to the wall and gathered there to pay their respects to the dead."

Looking at the Google Map street view, I see only a tiny bit of the mural is surviving. That is Chico's signature tag up in the top corner, apparently too high up at the roof line to destroy properly.

I found Kirshenblatt- Gimblett's analysis of the mural's genesis stilted and odd. I no longer believe, as she does, that these sorts of displays, which followed in the aftermath of 9/11, are the result of some "spontaneous memorialization," which is what we are told. By definition, this means they weren't planned by a committee, or orchestrated by anyone, or commissioned by any government force.

But I think the evidence points to the exact opposite as being the truth. Rather than the dissimilar organic acts of unorganized individuals, the missing persons narrative follows a senseless script, where the so-called family members are really only actors playing the roles of distraught survivors for the required public relations benefit. In this analysis, anybody who figures in the narrative at all, is really a partner to the crime.

Getting back to the question of authenticity, I recall, that years ago, a street art memorial like this one, would cost somewhere between five and ten thousand dollars to commission. Why should a successful artist voluntarily go to such trouble for the sake of sentimentality? We don't expect tax attorneys to volunteer their professional services to the public as a way to assuage their grief, why would a talented "ethnic" artist act any differently? Did he have a demonstrable stake in the events of 9/11, that nobody mentioned, or was his "family and friends," gesture, just a generic artistic license?

If Chico did volunteer his "celebrated" services, would it then have been kosher to have other people---non-artists, by the way---overwrite his work by posting fliers, poems, and other assorted ephemera and detritus onto his freshly painted mural surface---treating it as an equivalent to the blank walls and fences, which elsewhere became memorials? That attitude appears on display, where the fruit of someone's talent and generosity was viewed as merely the jumping-off place for more of the same sub-standard craft project applications, which were incorporated in memorials all over the city. Meant as a humanizing element, I think it actually is evidence of the poor judgment, and lack of talent, which underlies the entire government-orchestrated 9/11 narrative.

I recall these Puerto-Rican cultural artifacts from my old neighborhood---the graffiti-wall memorials, with their bodega candles burning mystically before them, which sprang up after the tragic, or premature death of someone seen as deserving memorialization. They were beautiful and moving sights, stylistically complete in their own rights---with the representational art holding iconographic significance for the departed. They also tended to remain basically unmarred for a long time afterwords---evidence of the respect, which was the intent of such memorializing.

Certainly, no one would think to disfigure such a shrine by adding on their own tacky five-and-dime crafting projects, of the sort we saw at every pop-up venue around town. To a degree in New York, but more painfully so in Arlington and Shanksville, these banal memorizations were empty examples of maudlin sensibilities. Seen in the second-hand images that record them, they are always in the poorest of taste, without any genuine sentiment. It's hard to fake a monument---you only have to look at the Pentagon memorial in Arlington to see the unavoidable result of falsity.

So, to me, it doesn't appear like any real Puerto Ricans were art directing this "offering," which has the distinction of looking both too expensive, and too cheap, at the same time.



Moreover, I find lots of internal evidence that points to some real funny business underway here, but not until I saw the rare image below, which was the first to provide a legitimate overview and context to understand the specifics of the site. This view is probably what was originally conceived by the artist "Chico."

That the art work began by being segmented into two unequal halves, which never were complimentary to each other, was a bad choice to start, and there must be some screwy covert rational behind it. A desire seems apparent to give the illusion this low structure consists of more than just one single separately owned and maintained property.

However, if you move around the corner onto 14th Street, (via Google Maps street view,) you see that the building occupied by Dion French Cleaners & Tailors is an exceedingly narrow one. Since a sign up front says, "all work is done on the premises," any legitimately run business would need to occupy the whole building---all the way back to the pizzeria---back where we find the standard large ventilation fan that these sorts of establishments require.

I have no doubt that this "concept" carries meaning, the particulars of which can safely escape me for now. This is even more clear after seeing how the building has been updated, and the mural destroyed (via Google street views.) The primary part of the mural was covered over by an advertising billboard surface, which is commercially rentable. The mural probably exists in good condition under this covering, since Chico's name, and some of his mural colors, can still be seen peeking out from above the addition.
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View Larger Map
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So why was the rest of the building treated so differently? This is the section which Chico had painted with memorial signage, in the style of a good James Rosenquist. Like the dominant heading---a large God Bless America, which hinted at the potential for a church within, along with the Crying Hearts below it, this half has been inexplicably destroyed with an application of crude white-wash, over which, the area was then allowed to attract the attention of some real graffiti artists, but ones able to limit their tagging to marking just this one section.

There is an exterior door to this section. Although it is equipped with a modern security gate, matching the ones on the building's front windows, this is observed in only one image out of the series. The rest of the time we see a busted up folding gate substituting for the secure one, in what would appear to be aiming for a deliberately substandardized ghetto look.

But an amazing visual aspect is now presenting itself. Found in the recently surfaced image of a wide-angle street view of the entire mural site, it was hitherto a completely unknown element in the original mural decor. It consists of three absolutely massive painterly numerals, of the now-common identifier, 911. But for some unknown reason, perhaps as a perverse act of artistic pentimento, the numbers were deliberately obscured from public view. The 911, done in a flat white paint and oriented on a bias, occupies what is otherwise an unadorned corner of the work. But in what can only be viewed as a deliberate and hostile act of covering up, various fliers and sundry materials have been carefully applied to hide any indication that a numerological component was ever here.

This stunning, over-scale graphic wasn't apparent to my eye in any of the images before, until I deliberately went looking for it and spotted its vestigial remains above. You can see the strong diagonal of the middle digit one, underlying the image. Why such an effort was made to obscure any notice of this date number is very curious indeed. So successfully has it been covered up under a mish-mash collection of missing person's fliers and other assorted jibbies that the very fact of its faux pas existence could once be denied

Left unexplained in all of this is the question of what prompted this kind of behavior.

In the sudden absence of this 911 component number, what exists on the mural as marking the date is a puny dangling, Sept. 11, 2001, which seems cast in a ridiculously under-scaled font, the faint voice like a verbal stepchild within the memorial message. How else do you pay honor to the memory of family and friends whose lives were supposedly savagely ended in an evil tragedy, if you shortchange the historic acknowledgment of the date they departed on?

I can see this was by some design intent, but I can't fathom a motive for why yet. Were the numerals proposed to be spoken in code: Nine, One, One---instead of the Rudi-licious lingual Nine-Eleven? But such a strange behavior as this only adds to my underwhelming sensation that all of the efforts made on behalf of the supposedly missing and the dead, are just faked props, inescapably fraudulent exercises in the absurd.

That an existing form of expressing urban grief could be so mocked and sullied by an overarching program of lesser value, is proof that committees, and not individuals, were at work here.

The Spook & the Stand-up Comedian: Louis Nevaer & Bronston Jones, on the 9/11 Missing Persons Fliers

No greater insight into the synthetic nature of the phenomena of the missing persons filers---those pieces of paper with photocopied images of the putative dead, which blanketed lower Manhattan in the aftermath of the September 11th attacks---can be gained than a study of how, within four months of the attacks, those fliers were assembled into a nationwide museum tour by two unlikely gentlemen---the one, Louis Nevaer, a liminal spy, and the other, Bronston Jones, an aspiring stand-up comedian.

Louis Nevaer

Whether we believe the fliers emerged as a spontaneous and unplanned expression of mass grief by those most deeply affected by a surprise terrorist attack, or were in fact, unleashed as a heavily scripted component part of a psychological operation perpetrated from within the U.S. government by the same people who undertook the false-flag attacks themselves---in what was designed ultimately as justification for subsequently entering into the illegal and immoral wars in Afghanistan and Iraq---in either case, the historic import of the fliers was recognized early on by officials.

That the job ultimately fell to two men with zero credibility to undertake such a task, is further evidence of the inherently fraudulent nature of the material itself---what we can now recognize as being only a program meant to falsely imprint into mass consciousness the legitimacy and authenticity of the human losses from that day. Other evidence points to the fact that the names, faces and identities depicted on the fliers are, in fact, merely "vicsims," computer generated fictions, part of the tally of woundedness which necessitated an American revenge.

Bronston Jones

The "official" story of the exhibition of these fliers, is maintained on a web page of Bronston Jones, a Los Angeles-based producer of commercials and music videos, who is an aspiring comedian, and whose sole credit as a photographer consists of one trip to New York City a week after the September 11th attacks, where for four weeks, he took images of the fliers as they decayed in poor weather on city streets.

It was on these same streets where Jones is said to have met and teamed up with the highly improbable figure of Louis Nevaer, an economist, Pacific News Service contributor, and author of "more nonfiction books and articles about Hispanic and Latino culture and business than any other living author."

That the two concurrent tours organized by Nevaer and Jones were abandoned within the first year, and after only 15 marginal venues, would point to a growing awareness that the tour was doing more harm than good in authenticating the victimhood of those depicted. Jones records simply that the tour's only "mission [wa]s to share these fliers with Americans and others throughout the world," but the sub-standard method they employed in doing so did more to [dis]"honor their memory by acknowledging their lives."

An essay by Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett, Kodak Moments, Flashbulb Memories: Reflections on 9/11, records some scathing criticism of the exhibition:

Reporting on the exhibition at the Artists’ Museum in Washington, DC, which coincided with the six-month anniversary of 9/11, Garance Franke-Rutawas disturbed by what she characterized as a “jarring, tasteless presentation of some of September 11’s most powerful fragments” (Franke-Ruta 2002). While she admired Nevaer's intentions—to provide an opportunity for the people outside New York to know, mourn, and honor those who died—she questioned the way the exhibition was installed. First, she objected to the aestheticization of the fliers: only the colored ones were shown (the black-and-white ones were considered less compelling) and the fliers were framed. Second, such material deserved a more prestigious venue than the “middlebrow” Artists' Museum. Third, “the show’s March 8 opening struck an offensively irreverent tone: Gallery-goers wandered amidst the posters drinking glasses of chardonnay while live jazz music thrummed in the background from a band playing in another gallery down the hall” (Franke-Ruta 2002).8

(For more virulence, see: The American Prospect, "Missing" Sensitivity: Washington, D.C., offers a very crude commemoration of 9/11. by Garance Franke-Ruta | March 20, 2002)

The "middlebrow" Artists’ Museum (whose web site is up for sale, by the way.) would rank at the very top of the venues that the Jones/Nevaer exhibition landed. Other sites, like the Hiddenbrooke Country Club in Vallejo, CA, or the Now Art Cafe Gallery in Hollywood, FL, are more representative of their efforts to honor victim's memories.

The American Prospect article linked to above, needless to say, didn't make it onto the index of news articles on Bronston Jones' web page compendium of the tour. But one article that is listed there, dated February 7, 2002---from the beginning of the tour---"Last Seen on Sept. 11" by Renee Koury of the Bay Area, CA, Mercury News, isn't any more complimentary. This is how the physical experience of the exhibition is described:

"The exhibit's first day in San Francisco was no exception. About 125 of the posters, each tucked in a simple black frame, were hung in the basement of City Hall, bathed in the unforgiving glare of fluorescent lights, in a busy corridor between a mailroom and the elections department. Workers with mail carts wheeled through the corridor while visitors peered solemnly at the display."

The exhibition petered out, but only after being officially recognized by the U.S. State Department, when it was included as part of a show of 9/11 imagery organized on behalf of the American Embassy in Costa Rica. Perhaps it was the danger posed by such official acknowledgment of criminally liable material that led to the plug being pulled on a the further planned international tour of the images.

This was wise. The "World Memorial Museum," yet another in the endless supply of subsidized web sites which sprang into existence after 9/11 in order to pimp the orthodox history of that day, makes clear that the images which toured under the auspices of Jones and Nevaer were their own, personal private property. "The Collection generously on loan from Bronston Jones and Louis Nevaer," is how it's put it.

It is in many of the specific narrative details that make up the Bronston and Navaer story that we can see the fictive elements of a pre-written history. We are repeatedly told that an estimated

"500-700 families could get to New York to create fliers, approximately 90,000 were hung."

The first figure should represent a nearly precise number, while the second figure is an impossible number to arrive at. Who could guesstimate the total number of individual fliers posted throughout the city? What we are being informed of here, are the contents of the advanced briefing papers laying out the rules of the op.

Believable, would have been a statement along the lines of "we collected fliers of approximately 500 individual identities (One flier, which we are told was a favorite of Nevaer's, is described as

"one that shows a laughing middle-aged woman who appears to be trying to dodge the camera at a party. Handwriting identifies her only as Isabel. The message: "Missing, needs medicine."1

which could never be established as belonging to any known victim. Should it be counted in the narrative then? Does she represent someone who should be on the missing roster, but isn't? What about fliers bemoaning the loss of "my adorable twins," which spoke of the towers themselves, and other such marginalia?)

What of the Mesoamerica Foundation which "organized and funded the Missing exhibit?" Variously described as a "Mexican human rights group," and Nevaer's employer, the tour's "sponsor" is in truth just the charitable arm of Bain & Company, a global business consulting firm. Was it somebody's bright idea there to bypass traditional standards of museum scholarship and force an exhibition on the American public?

"In the meantime, the Smithsonian and the City Museum of New York collected the torn-down posters with an idea of archiving or displaying them later. Nevaer contacted both to help facilitate a traveling show, but the willingness of the institutions to cooperate was overcome by the due deliberations of their systemic natures. After considerable searching, Nevaer made contact with the Mexican human rights group Mesoamerica, which was eager to fund and easy to reach by phone. He made his own collection from private properties and the tour swiftly took shape." 2*

I call Nevaer's a "spook" and a "liminal spy," because that's the results a simple Google returns. We are told that Castro engaged Nevaer to tell his story, Nevaer's being "connected to Castro through a family pharmaceutical business in Mexico, which does business with Cuba." Elsewhere, we learn Nevaer's "was invited by the Islamic Republic to assist in strengthening ties between Iran and the Spanish-speaking world."

Ask yourself, is it congruous for "an authority on NAFTA and the Hispanic consumer market [who] has written nine other books including New Business Opportunities in Mexico (Quorum Books, 1995), and New Business Opportunities in Latin America (Quorum Books, 1996) [and who is] a consultant for top management in international finance," to have undertaken his own private street collection of these fliers, "curating" them, (read: mounting them in frames,) and then to have traveled along with the collection in order to be on hand at openings across America (as newspaper interviews indicate he did?)

But Nevaer's spy world credentials are vouchsafed by his role in authoring two articles disseminated by the little-known Pacific News Service---the May 4, 2004, Hired Guns with War Crimes Past, and the June 16, 2004, Here Come the Death Squad Veterans, which were picked up by some in the liberal media, but the facts of which remain almost completely unknown to the general public.

Louis Nevaer

The articles reveal the role that international covert forces have in keeping tabs on one another throughout times of peace and times of war. In what must have outraged the international secret services at the time, was the fact that as events spiraled out of control after the U.S. invasion of Iraq, the Coalition Provisional Authority running the country began the "outsourcing" of privatized security services to companies contracted by the Pentagon. These companies---mainly corporate offshoots of Blackwater---then hired thousands of known terrorists, mercenaries and war criminals---such as South African ex-hit men, Serbian mercenaries, and Chilean and Pinochet-era death-squad members to do the dirty work of subduing the resistance.

That the Christian fundamentalism underlying the corporate structure of Blackwater allowed for the harvesting of the most evil killers alive on the planet, speaks to the unmitigated horror that was the United States invasion of Iraq. It is to Nevaer's great honor that his name is attached to this unheard of breach of the rules of covert decorum. It is further proof that the U.S. entered into religious wars---"Crusades" President Bush first declared---at the urging of Israeli special interests aligned with the organized forces of a subversive apocalyptic Christian identity.


1* "New York Fliers Capture Terror," by Morgan Green, Santa Barbara News-Press, January 2, 2002

2* "In Mad Hope: An Exhibition of “Missing” Posters
from NYC at the Karpeles," by D.J. Palladino, Santa Barbara Independent, January 10, 2002

Jordan Schuster: A Student at N.Y. Jew

The Aftermath Sequence Unfolds in Union Square Park

A Flickr account, September Mourning, post some interesting information about the sequence of events that unfolded in Union Square Park in the days following September 11th, 2001.

He or she says someone named "Jordan Schuschler [sic] taped thirty-foot long sheets of paper to the ground and laid out boxes of crayons and markers for passers by to leave their messages of hope and condolence."

Union Square Wednesday afternoon

Union Square Wednesday Afternoon
Eloquence amongst the chaos.

Union Square Wednesday Afternoon

Amy Waldman, writing in the New York Times on September 14, 2001, Grief Is Lessened by Sharing and Solace From Strangers, also mentions this same Jordon Schuster, although by the sound of it, she was told this second-hand on Wednesday

"The square became a site of convergence almost by accident. On Tuesday afternoon, Jordan Schuster, a 19-year-old student desperate to do something, had taped down a piece of butcher paper to give people an outlet. By yesterday, well over 100 sheets of paper had been filled with tributes, prayers, opinions, and counteropinions."

September Mourning says that the "paper rolls disappeared with the rains on Thursday to be replaced by chalking on the pavement the following day."

Union Square Friday evening (The Candlelit Vigil)

Union Square Friday Evening

But he says that by "Saturday Union Square was awash with flowers and tributes of all descriptions as mourners came to pay their respects. The weekend saw the square transformed into an impromptu shrine of remembrance. The photograph above, of the little girl lighting the candle, was taken at this spot the night before. It shows how quickly the scene changed from one day to the next in that week."

Union Square Saturday

This changing sequence over the days seems very suspect to me. It was very generous of the young Mr. Jordan Schuschler/Schuster to provide the "boxes of crayons and markers" and "well over 100 sheets of paper" for everybody to use, and Schuschler/Schuster doesn't seem averse to publicity either.

I suspect the beautifully wrought and misspelled memorial remembrance by Nash Inc., which we see in one image, was paid for by somebody, if not Schuschler/Schuster. So was the chalk. But we really start going to town on the weekend, with so many flowers, candles, and flags provided for that it's really over the top.

All of these are signals somebody with deep pockets was putting a lot of thought into the communal experience.

Sunday afternoon in Union Square

"Around noon on Wednesday, two Armenian immigrants arrived at Union Square lugging a concrete-covered column about eight feet high, and attached what looked like a wire-mesh Christmas tree on top. It was a tribute to the victims of the attacks; the two had stayed up all night making it.

"The column, dominated as it was by the statue of George Washington looming over it, at first seemed faintly absurd. But yesterday, it seemed utterly necessary. The area around its base was covered with flowers, candles, and photos of the missing, and people gathered around it as if it were a campfire. They stared. They read. They knelt. They wept. They looked as if they would have clutched onto the column if they could have."

Grief Is Lessened by Sharing and Solace From Strangers by Amy Waldman, The New York Times, September 14, 2001,

I don't trust September Mourning, not with the following image from his Flickr account.
The "fact" of Roger Mark Rasweiler being the "first" missing-person poster put up after the attacks is quite heavily promoted in the news record, even though I can't understand how anyone could make such a determination like that until I saw this image, which seems to show it actually getting done. However, that would have to make it on the Tuesday evening, and not Wednesday evening, as September Mourning claims.

8th Avenue Sidewalk Wednesday night

Roger Mark Rasweiler

"My assistant and I came across this missing poster as we walked along the sidewalk early on Wednesday evening. It was the first we had seen."

9/11: Light a Candle or Party On? by JODI KANTOR, The New York Times, August 18, 2005

"At the time, many of the most satisfying commemorations were spontaneous ones, the handmade signs, the heaping piles of flowers, the neighborly gatherings at firehouses. But these gestures, by their very nature, were one-time events. Even Jordan Schuster, who as a 19-year old student at New York University led the transformation of Union Square into the site of a mass vigil, no longer marks the date in any particular way. "I didn't want my life to be 9/11 for the next 10 years," he said."

Jordan, I'd give you 25 to life myself.