Israel Matzav

A 9/11 baby

Shavua tov, a good week to everyone.

I think every one of us remembers where he was when he heard about 9/11. I was in an office in Ramat Gan negotiating the sale of a business. Suddenly, the articled clerk (stajer) of the lawyer with whom I was working came in and said that a plane had just hit the World Trade Center. My first thought was of a plane that had hit the Empire State building in the 1940's. That was a small plane and it was an accident. Could this have been an accident?

The stajer had a very slow moving video on his computer that showed Tower 1 burning. It looked bad, but it didn't look like what would happen a couple of hours later. We turned on a television set in the conference room and planned to continue to work. But just after we turned on the television, the second plane, pictured above, hit the south tower. Within an hour, the building announced that everyone had to leave. Every office tower in Tel Aviv and vicinity was cleared out. Such were the fears that day.

In Manhattan an organization called Meetups was born out of 9/11. I go to Meetups here all the time for business networking. Here's how they got started.

Fellow Meetuppers,

I don't write to our whole community often, but this week is special because it's the 10th anniversary of 9/11 and many people don't know that Meetup is a 9/11 baby.

Let me tell you the Meetup story. I was living a couple miles from the Twin Towers, and I was the kind of person who thought local community doesn't matter much if we've got the internet and tv. The only time I thought about my neighbors was when I hoped they wouldn't bother me.

When the towers fell, I found myself talking to more neighbors in the days after 9/11 than ever before. People said hello to neighbors (next-door and across the city) who they'd normally ignore. People were looking after each other, helping each other, and meeting up with each other. You know, being neighborly.

A lot of people were thinking that maybe 9/11 could bring people together in a lasting way. So the idea for Meetup was born: Could we use the internet to get off the internet -- and grow local communities?

We didn't know if it would work. Most people thought it was a crazy idea -- especially because terrorism is designed to make people distrust one another.

A small team came together, and we launched Meetup 9 months after 9/11.

Today, almost 10 years and 10 million Meetuppers later, it's working. Every day, thousands of Meetups happen. Moms Meetups, Small Business Meetups, Fitness Meetups... a wild variety of 100,000 Meetup Groups with not much in common -- except one thing.

Every Meetup starts with people simply saying hello to neighbors. And what often happens next is still amazing to me. They grow businesses and bands together, they teach and motivate each other, they babysit each other's kids and find other ways to work together. They have fun and find solace together. They make friends and form powerful community. It's powerful stuff.

It's a wonderful revolution in local community, and it's thanks to everyone who shows up.

Meetups aren't about 9/11, but they may not be happening if it weren't for 9/11.

9/11 didn't make us too scared to go outside or talk to strangers. 9/11 didn't rip us apart. No, we're building new community together!!!!

The towers fell, but we rise up. And we're just getting started with these Meetups.

Scott Heiferman (on behalf of 80 people at Meetup HQ)
Co-Founder & CEO, Meetup
New York City
September 2011

The gentleman who sits next to me in my daily Talmud class is probably in his mid-30's and has never been out of Israel. He was amazed to hear the other day that not only was I in the World Trade Center for a meeting about a year before that horrible day, but I was also in Windows on the World - the rooftop restaurant in the north tower where everyone at breakfast that horrible morning was killed. Back in the 70's, we often took dates to Windows to sip on Cokes and admire the scenery.

Labels: 9/11

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 8:56 PM