U.S. Embassy in Chișinău commemorates 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks' victims

The United States marks today the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, one of the most tragic days in the country's history. The U.S. Embassy in Chișinău pays tribute to the victims of that tragedy, which shook the world. Among those commemorated is Arkady Zaltsman, an architect originally from Chișinău who lost his life in the South Tower of the World Trade Center.


“We pay tribute to the innocent victims who lost their lives, the heroes who responded, and the families whose lives were changed forever. Among those we commemorate is Arkady Zaltsman, a renowned architect originally from Chișinău, who tragically lost his life at the World Trade Center in the September 11 attacks,” the U.S. Embassy in Chișinău said.


 



Arkady Zaltsman was born in Chișinău in 1955 and graduated from the Faculty of Urban Planning and Architecture at the Chișinău Polytechnic Institute. Together with other specialists, he contributed to the design of the complex housing the Supreme Soviet of the Moldavian SSR, which later became the headquarters of the Presidency of the Republic of Moldova. Specialized sources in the Republic of Moldova confirm that the architect was originally from Chișinău.

In 1990, Zaltsman emigrated to the United States with his family and settled in New York. He rebuilt his professional career and was later hired by the prestigious architecture firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. The National September 11 Memorial confirms that on the morning of September 11, 2001, Zaltsman was on the 105th floor of the South Tower, where he was attending a meeting at Aon Corporation and presenting his designs. He was 45 years old.

According to the U.S. Embassy in Chișinău, the architect’s wedding ring was found among the ruins left behind after the attacks, becoming a symbol of love and remembrance for his family.


“To keep alive the memory of his creative spirit, retired Colonel Eduard Stahi and Arina Gumaniuc Stahi commissioned a special painting, conceived as a lasting tribute to his artistic talent. A photograph of this moving work is featured in the open-air public exhibition currently on display in the ‘Ștefan cel Mare’ Public Garden,” the Embassy’s message states.


The diplomatic mission emphasizes that, through art, memory, and the history that connects the two communities, Arkady Zaltsman’s legacy continues to build bridges between the Republic of Moldova and the United States.

The September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks claimed the lives of 2,977 people: 2,753 in New York, 184 at the Pentagon, and 40 aboard Flight 93, according to the National September 11 Memorial. The 19 individuals who hijacked four commercial airplanes were members of the al-Qaida terrorist network.

This year, a ceremony marking the 25th anniversary of the attacks is being held in New York. Family members of the victims read the names of those who lost their lives, while moments of silence mark the times when the planes struck the World Trade Center towers and the Pentagon and when they collapsed, as well as the tragedy of Flight 93.