Posted on 10/15/2003 1:00:16 PM PDT by anotherview
Oct. 15, 2003
Torah scroll dedication held in memory of Ilan Ramon
By JPOST.COM STAFF
Israel's first astronaut Ilan Ramon
Photo: AP
A Torah Scroll dedication ceremony took place in Yad Vashem Wednesday in honor Israel's first astronaut, Colonel Ilan Ramon.
The Torah scroll will be kept in Yad Vashem.
The Torah scroll was presented to Ramon's widow Rona by a New York donor, and will be carried by IDF soldiers and officers visiting concentration camps in Poland under the auspices of the annual "Witnesses in Uniform" program, the IDF Spokesperson reported.
Astronauts Rick Husband, William McCool, Michael Anderson, Kalpana Chawla, David Brown, and Laurel Clark of NASA and Ilan Ramon of Israel died on February 1 when their Columbia space shuttle broke up while returning to Earth from a 16-day orbital mission.
Ramon took with him aboard shuttle Columbia's doomed flight a Kiddush cup and a miniature Torah scroll that survived the Nazi death camps.
In July, Ilan Ramon was interred in a military ceremony, during which he was posthumously awarded a medal of honor by IDF Chief of Staff, Lt.-Gen. Moshe Ya'alon, and IAF Commander, Major General Dan Halutz.
But with a hearty thank you!
Dev 4:39. Know therefore this day, and consider it in your heart, that the Lord is God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath; there is no other:
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon delivers a speech in front of a coffin containing the remains of Israel's first astronaut Ilan Ramon, during a memorial service at Ben Gurion International Airport, outside Tel Aviv Feb. 10, 2003. Ramon, a 48-year-old air force colonel, died with six other astronauts aboard NASA's Columbia space shuttle, which broke up as it came down through the Earth's atmosphere on Feb. 1, 2003. (AP Photo/Paul Hanna, Pool)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.