(JNS) - Acting Consul General of Israel in New York Israel Nitzan and the Port Authority Police Department gathered at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum in Lower Manhattan on Tuesday to mark the Jewish calendar's 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and its victims.

"That tragic and devastating day was an attack on the free world, democracy and the values we all hold so dear," said Nitzan at the event. "As terror and suffering continue to grow in this world, Israel and the United States must continue to join forces, and fight hate and evil from our midst. We have come a long way and yet have long to go."

Others who attended the service included Port Authority Police Superintendent Ed Cetnar; Rabbi Mendy Carlebach, chaplain of the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey, who blew a shofar at the event; and UJA-Federation of New York president Amy Bressman.

Following his remarks, Nitzan and Bressman also placed a wreath at the 9/11 "Survivor Tree" to commemorate victims of the attack before participants toured the memorial to honor the Israeli victims of that day.

"On behalf of the men and women of Port Authority Police Department, I thank you for this great honor and being with you," said Cetnar. "It means a lot to us because of the significance of everything that's going on around the world, and that we continue to remember and we will never forget."

He added that "the only other 9/11 memorial in the Middle East is in Israel. I've been there several times, I laid a wreath each time we have been there, so the honor and the opportunity to do such things, it's been great for us."