As he traveled through space last January, Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon focused on the earth.
During a televised conversation with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on Jan. 21, 2003, Ramon described his view of his homeland, saying, “From space, Israel looks like it does on a map — small but charming.” And he challenged Jews to care for and protect the Jewish state.
“I call upon every Jew in the world to plant a tree in the land of Israel during the coming year. I would like to see at least 13 or 14 million new trees planted in Israel exactly one year from now, on the anniversary of the launching [of the space shuttle Columbia.]”
Ramon, whose first name means tree, spoke only days before Tu B’Shevat — the new year for trees — and only 11 days before the tragedy that took his life and those of the six other astronauts aboard the space shuttle.
But Ramon’s dream of greening the Jewish state has taken root. This year, hundreds of children throughout the United States will combine their celebration of Tu B’Shevat with a commemoration of Ramon.
Through the Jewish National Fund’s Tu B’Shevat Across America program, children will plant trees in Israel in memory of Ramon and will receive certificates bearing his name.
In Israel, Tu B’Shevat is easy to relate to — the shocking white and pink blossoms of almond trees spot the landscape and signal the beginning of spring. They carry with them the hope of renewal and rebirth.
But here in Milwaukee, as I peer out the window at our frozen earth, spring can seem abstract and distant. This year, Tu B’Shevat takes on added significance because of its proximity to the Feb. 1 anniversary of the Columbia tragedy.
As I buy dried fruit in preparation for the holiday and renew my commitment to protecting the earth, I remember Ramon. I remember the pride he evoked in Jews worldwide and how he became a national hero in times that many described as hopeless.
I remember how my daughter and her kindergarten class followed the Columbia’s progress via Internet. I remember hearing about the excitement in Israel. And I remember the deafening silence last Feb. 1 as we heard the news.
Mindful of roots
Tu B’Shevat is a holiday of hope, a celebration of beginnings. It reminds us that life is full of change. To me, the holiday, like the natural world, is brutal but comforting; it holds hope and promise.
At The Chronicle, too, we are in the midst of transition. As I assume my new post as editor, I am honored and humbled by my responsibility to the community and the great task that has been entrusted to me.
Settling into my new office, I am grateful for the support of former executive editor Vivian Rothschild, who has shown great passion and vision during her almost six years at the paper.
I hope to carry on her community-focused mission of The Chronicle — to continue to help make the paper a reflection of our diverse Jewish world and an effective tool for building that community.
These pages should be filled with human faces, with stories of the people who live here, who shape our community and give it color. One of our continuing challenges is to reveal the diversity of Jewish Milwaukee and to tell compelling human stories.
I look forward to working with colleagues and community members to make The Chronicle young and fresh yet respectful of its history and relevant to its readers. I am eager to hear your thoughts, ideas and opinions.
Facing the challenge before me, I gain inspiration from Ramon, who carried with him into space not only his dreams, but also his history, the hopes of the Jewish and Israeli people, and a overriding sense of responsibility.
With him as he pushed out of the earth’s atmosphere were not only poems, letters and photographs from his family, but also a pencil drawing by a 14-year old boy who died at Auschwitz.
“I’m the son of a Holocaust survivor,” Ramon said before the mission. “I carry on the suffering of the Holocaust generation and I’m kind of proof that despite all the horror they went through, we’re going forward.”
As he orbited the earth, Ramon peered into the future but remained mindful of his roots. May his memory be for a blessing and may his dream be fulfilled. May this season touch each of us with the spirit of renewal, hope and possibility.
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