Until the catastrophic deaths on Feb. 1 of the seven astronauts aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia, many American Jews were unaware not only of Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon’s presence on the flight, but also of the way he had captured the hearts and minds of the Israeli public.
For children nationwide who had followed his NASA mission through numerous school projects, for adults weary of war and politics who followed his every move through the media, Ramon represented the best of Israel’s indomitable spirit and the technological and scientific strides the country has made within its short statehood.
But Ilan Ramon was a hero not just to Israelis, and not just when he was launched into space some three weeks ago. The secular Ramon insisted on keeping kosher in space, consulted with rabbis about keeping the Sabbath, brought several ritual objects with him, and honored those who had perished in the Holocaust by bringing a now-famous, small Torah from Bergen-Belsen and a drawing by a child murdered in Auschwitz. From everything written about him, it seems likely that Ramon would have honored Holocaust victims even had he not been the son of a survivor.
Had Ramon returned safely home, he would have been a hero — not just for all the reasons astronauts are heroes, and not just because he was the first Israeli in space and a highly decorated war veteran to boot.
Ramon was a hero also because of the decisions he made before he left the ground. Cognizant that he represented something larger than even his country itself, Ramon ensured that in space he represented all the Jews of the world — secular to Orthodox. He did so quietly, and he did so proudly.
Let us remember Ilan Ramon’s respect for all Jews this month and next as Milwaukee launches its community-wide “One Community, Two Books, 1,000 Opinions” reading project (see last week’s issue), and let us honor his memory while we are reading and discussing books dealing with pluralism, interdenominational relations, Zionism, Israel and many other sensitive topics.
Most of all, let us remember the most important lesson Col. Ramon can teach us: that as Jews we each represent something larger than ourselves, something that we should be proud of whether we fly through space for two weeks or travel our own earthly path. Only in that way can the spirit of the Jewish people truly soar.
May Ilan Ramon’s memory, and the memories of the six American astronauts who died with him, be for a blessing.
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