9/11 Anniversary: How the world changed on a global and personal level

On the morning of September 11, 2001, the world watched in collective shock and disbelief as the unthinkable unfolded. 

Two commercial airliners crashed into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, while another struck the Pentagon just outside Washington, D.C. A fourth, United Airlines Flight 93, crashed into a field in Pennsylvania after heroic passengers attempted to regain control from the hijackers. 

The coordinated act of terrorism, orchestrated by the terrorist group al-Qaeda, not only shattered the physical structures of American cities, but also sent seismic waves that reverberated far beyond U.S. borders.

In an instant, the events of 9/11 reshaped the world's geopolitical landscape, prompting profound changes on both a global and deeply personal scale. As we mark the 22nd anniversary of this tragic day, it is essential to reflect on how the events of September 11, 2001, transformed our world and left marks on individual lives that still affect individuals today.

In the United States, the attacks that day shattered a safety bubble that seemed unthinkable on American soil. 

"I think the world became a lot scarier place for a lot of people," CBS News Miami Reporter Jim Defede told i24NEWS. 

"While I think that Israel had certainly understood the threat that terrorism posed, in the United States prior to 9/11, it was more of a hypothetical than a reality, and 9/11 made it that reality for the United States. It showed that as large a place that oceans can be, that doesn't make you immune to what was taking place," Defede added.

An award-winning journalist, he is also the author of "The Day the World Came to Town," which tells the story of how the small town of Gander, Newfoundland, in Canada, was affected by 9/11. 

After the first two planes hit the World Trade Center in New York, U.S. Air Traffic Control ordered every aircraft flying domestically or flying in and out internationally to land at the nearest airport. For the people onboard 38 of those international flights, they landed in the small town of Gander. 

"They took in nearly 7,000 passengers and crew, and my book tells the story of how that community came together to take care of the passengers for the next five days," Defede told i24NEWS Desk host Batya Levinthal. "It also allowed them to show that there was still a little humanity left in the world, and that we could come together and take care of one another." 

On this day of remembrance, it is also important to reflect on how the lives of thousands of family, friends, and colleagues were changed in the wake of their loved ones' deaths. 

One of them is Jamie Pila. Now serving as a lone soldier in the Israeli army, she lost her father to the attacks at the World Trade Center before she was even born. 

When Jamie's mother was 6 months pregnant, her father — a real estate agent — went to the World Trade Center to pack up his belongings on his last day on the job. That was when disaster struck. After her father's passing, Jamie, along with her mother and sister, moved to New Jersey. 

After graduating from high school in the U.S., Jamie decided to do a gap year in Israel, joining a "Masa" program. At the end of the program, Jamie drafted in the IDF as a combat soldier. 

"I think one thing that feels special to me is, even if I am here and in the army, I can be a really small part of something bigger, something that I can try and ensure that one more person doesn't have to feel the loss that I felt, the loss of of a close family member," Pila said told Zoom In host David Matlin. 

"Keeping people safe in general is where I can connect to my dad," she added.

Jamie was among those attending the annual ceremony held by KKL-JNF and the U.S. Embassy in Israel commemorating the victims of 9/11.