Israel launches Space Week 2023
Monday kicked off the 18th Ilan Ramon International Space Conference in Tel Aviv, with Israeli President Isaac Herzog meeting with participating astronauts.
During the meeting, Herzog learned about the personal experiences of commercial astronaut and former fighter pilot Eytan Stibbe and his team while on the International Space Station, and spoke about the possibilities of space exploration and preservation of the earth at the same time.
“All of this seemingly infinite possibility isn’t only about reaching beyond ourselves to new planets. It is also about using our new capabilities to preserve and protect this fragile and beautiful planet we call home,” Herzog said. “Together, we can take space exploration, and our capacity for human collaboration, to new heights and save our planet from new and terrifying depths.”
NASA officials presented the Israeli president with a patch from the recent Artemis-1 mission and others gave Herzog a glass cube containing a prayer for the State of Israel, written by Herzog’s grandfather, Rabbi Yitzhak Isaac HaLevi Herzog, who also served as Israel’s first Ashkenazi chief rabbi.
The conference highlighted sentiments from late astronaut Ilan Ramon about the Earth’s immense beauty from space, as well as the necessity to protect the planet.
The All Israel News Staff is a team of journalists in Israel.
