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Columbia Tragedy
Editor's note: On February 1, 2003, the world listened in shock to the news reports of the tragic end of mission STS-107, when the space shuttle Columbia disintegrated upon re-entry into the earth's atmosphere, killing all seven astronauts on board. Among the seven who died was Ilan Ramon, an Israeli Air Force colonel who participated in the mission, making the tragedy especially poignant for the Jewish community.
We bring you here some of the reactions to his journey and mission recorded before and after the tragedy.
The Legacy of Ilan Ramon
"Jerusalem, we have a problem!'” Ilan said to me. He wanted to know how to keep Shabbat in space
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Ramon's journey is more than just another feel-good story for a country
desperate for some good news. Rather it's an inspiring example of one man who
senses the importance of Jewish identity
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There were others who traveled to space, but no one ever carried anything like his kind of baggage. You could say that he took an entire people—3400 years of history included—to the heavens.
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In Ethics of the Fathers our sages teach: "Repent one day before your death." The obvious
question is asked: how does one know which day he or she is to die?
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Usually, a person dies, and then their soul shines down on us from heaven. It is rare that a spirit shines down on us from heaven, and then dies
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The Creator... knows the names of the seven souls we mourn today. The crew of the shuttle Columbia did not return safely to Earth; yet we can pray that all are safely home
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