Abraham Zelmanowitz - Biography

Abraham Zelmanowitz (also known as Abe, Avrame, and Avremel) was an Orthodox Jew who worked as a computer programmer for Empire Blue Cross and Blue Shield on the 27th floor of Tower One of the World Trade Center in New York City. Zelmanowitz died in the attacks of September 11, 2001.

September 11 attacks

One of his best friends was co-worker and fellow computer programmer Ed Beyea, who was a quadriplegic. With the elevators not working after the attack, Beyea had no way of getting out. Rather than go down the stairs and try to save himself, Zelmanowitz chose to stay with his friend, and presumably comfort him until the bitter end (many believe they prayed together during those final moments as well; as Beyea was a devout Roman Catholic).

Zelmanowitz called his family on his cell phone, telling them he was OK, and insisting that he would stay by Beyea's side, though his mother and brother pleaded with him to get out. This was done in spite of the fact that Judaism rejects the notion of giving one's life simply to comfort a fellow human being.

Legacy

Zelmanowitz's story is one of several vignettes interwoven throughout "September 11, 2001: Profiles in Heroism", a 26-minute documentary about the September 11, 2001 attacks that looks at the attacks through the eyes of several Orthodox Jews.

At the National 9/11 Memorial, Zelmanowitz is memorialized at the North Pool, on Panel N-65.

External links

• My Brother, Who Stayed Behind - from O, The Oprah Magazine
• September 11 - A memorial, CNN
• For the Ultra-Orthodox, a Surprising Hero of 9/11 - from The Forward
• Sharing Grief to Find Understanding - from The New York Times
• September 11, 2001: A Day to Remember - from New Mobility magazine