Though Israel has almost grown accustomed to tragedies and loss of life, it is undergoing today yet another form of national mourning, following the loss yesterday of the Columbia spacecraft and its crew of seven, among them Col. Ilan Ramon.
World leaders including U.S. President George Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin telephoned Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and expressed their condolences on the tragic accident. Prime Minister Sharon, in turn, delivered his regrets to the American people and the astronauts’ families, and added that it is at moments such as these that "the hearts of the American and Israeli peoples beat as one… Let us pray together and support each other."
A memorial ceremony for Air Force Col. Ramon was held this morning at the Be'er Sheva high school at which he studied. Mayor Yaakov Turner said that he would work to establish a memorial site for Ramon at the Air Force Museum in nearby Hatzerim. Past and present students of the school took part in the moving ceremony. It was noted that Ramon had participated in the Israeli bombing of Iraq's Osirak nuclear reactor in 1981.
The Israel Defense Forces has established an email address where the world public may express their condolences to the Ramon family and to the people of Israel on the loss of Col. Ilan Ramon. The e-mail address is:. The IDF says it will present Ilan Ramon's family with all letters received at that address.
In memory of Ilan Ramon and his fellow astronauts who perished on the Columbia, Israeli and US flags were lowered to half-mast today at the entrance to the Prime Minister’s Office, the President's Residence, and the Foreign Ministry.
Sharon and US Ambassador to Israel Daniel Kurtzer addressed the government at the start of today's Cabinet meeting. Sharon expressed confidence that another Israeli astronaut would yet ascend into space, and talked of the phone calls he had made to Ramon's widow Rona and his father Eliezer. Kurtzer said, "Our two nations shared... hopes and dreams of the advances that this mission promised for the betterment of humankind. Today Americans and Israelis come together again to mourn those seven astronauts... Americans and Israelis are brothers indeed on earth and in space." Air Force Commander Gen. Dan Halutz and Israeli Space Agency Director Avi Har-Even were also present at the meeting.
Arutz-7 has received letters of support and condolences from around the world, including India, Norway, Great Britain, Texas and elsewhere. A reader in India - birthplace of Dr. Kalpana Chawla, another one of the Columbia astronauts - wrote:
"We, the citizens of India, deeply mourn the loss caused to Israel and also the whole world due to the sudden demise of Ilan Ramon, along with the other six on board space shuttle Columbia. No words can truly emote the feelings in the heart of the people who have been associated with the mission directly and indirectly.
"We offer our sincere homage to all those who strived all their life for the betterment of humanity.
"In this time of grief, we stand shoulder to shoulder as brothers and promise the almighty that our quest for the noble cause of betterment of humanity and the whole universe shall continue..."
World leaders including U.S. President George Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin telephoned Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and expressed their condolences on the tragic accident. Prime Minister Sharon, in turn, delivered his regrets to the American people and the astronauts’ families, and added that it is at moments such as these that "the hearts of the American and Israeli peoples beat as one… Let us pray together and support each other."
A memorial ceremony for Air Force Col. Ramon was held this morning at the Be'er Sheva high school at which he studied. Mayor Yaakov Turner said that he would work to establish a memorial site for Ramon at the Air Force Museum in nearby Hatzerim. Past and present students of the school took part in the moving ceremony. It was noted that Ramon had participated in the Israeli bombing of Iraq's Osirak nuclear reactor in 1981.
The Israel Defense Forces has established an email address where the world public may express their condolences to the Ramon family and to the people of Israel on the loss of Col. Ilan Ramon. The e-mail address is:
In memory of Ilan Ramon and his fellow astronauts who perished on the Columbia, Israeli and US flags were lowered to half-mast today at the entrance to the Prime Minister’s Office, the President's Residence, and the Foreign Ministry.
Sharon and US Ambassador to Israel Daniel Kurtzer addressed the government at the start of today's Cabinet meeting. Sharon expressed confidence that another Israeli astronaut would yet ascend into space, and talked of the phone calls he had made to Ramon's widow Rona and his father Eliezer. Kurtzer said, "Our two nations shared... hopes and dreams of the advances that this mission promised for the betterment of humankind. Today Americans and Israelis come together again to mourn those seven astronauts... Americans and Israelis are brothers indeed on earth and in space." Air Force Commander Gen. Dan Halutz and Israeli Space Agency Director Avi Har-Even were also present at the meeting.
Arutz-7 has received letters of support and condolences from around the world, including India, Norway, Great Britain, Texas and elsewhere. A reader in India - birthplace of Dr. Kalpana Chawla, another one of the Columbia astronauts - wrote:
"We, the citizens of India, deeply mourn the loss caused to Israel and also the whole world due to the sudden demise of Ilan Ramon, along with the other six on board space shuttle Columbia. No words can truly emote the feelings in the heart of the people who have been associated with the mission directly and indirectly.
"We offer our sincere homage to all those who strived all their life for the betterment of humanity.
"In this time of grief, we stand shoulder to shoulder as brothers and promise the almighty that our quest for the noble cause of betterment of humanity and the whole universe shall continue..."