On February 1, 2003, the Space Shuttle Columbia was moments away from completing its 28th mission when it disintegrated over Texas, killing the seven crew members on board. Amongst the crew members of the Columbia was Colonel Ilan Ramon, Israel‘s first astronaut. That day marked a great loss, for science, the NASA program, and also for Israel, as a lauded national hero was killed in the tragic accident of the Columbia.
Ilan Ramon did not journey into space as an individual, but rather as the representative of Israel and the Jewish people as a whole. He carried with him the pride of his people as he flew into history by becoming the first (and to date only) Israeli astronaut. Recognizing that he had become a symbol of Israel, Ilan Ramon strove to acknowledge this during his mission. Although he was a self-described secular Jew, he also saw himself as representing all Jews and Israelis, and out of respect for this, submitted the first request for kosher food in outer space. In addition, he carried with him several pieces of Holocaust memorabilia, including a drawing by a sixteen-year-old Auschwitz victim and a miniature Torah scroll given to him by a Bergen Belsen survivor. By bringing these relics with him on his mission, Ramon symbolically carried the dreams children who had not been able to reach their own potential, as well as hope for the future of the Jewish people as respected members of the global community.
It has been nine years since Ilan Ramon and his crew members died in a tragic accident. His continued impact on Israeli society is indicative of the uniqueness of Israel and the Israeli people. Ramon has been honored as a hero of Zionism, with schools, streets, and other institutions named after him. But even greater than his impact as measured by the honors done to him in the public forum is his impact on the hearts and minds of the Israeli people. Ilan Ramon represented, and continues to symbolize, the success of the Zionist movement. The inspiring symbol of an Israeli flag sewn on to a flight suit reverberated with Jews around the world, instilling in them a sense of pride, of acceptance, and of nationalism. Ilan Ramon was a pilot, an astronaut. But he recognized that in representing Israel, he was more than that. He was a hero of the Zionist movement, embodying its success. Israel, an innovator and leader in technology and business, joined the ranks of thirty-seven other countries that have had astronauts in space with Ilan Ramon’s mission. His mission was a chance for Israel to literally reach for the stars, exceeding the expectations of the founders of Israel and the Zionist movement yet again. Today, as Israel remembers Ilan Ramon, it is as a hero, a role model, and a symbol of Israeli potential.
Photo by Suzan Marie
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