Ilan Roman
: From the Jerusalem Post’s profile of astronaut Ilan Roman:
He began identifying himself as the son of a refugee father from Germany who fought in Israel’s War of Independence, and a mother who survived Auschwitz. Ramon said that serving as his country’s first astronaut was part of a “miracle” that stretched back 50 years.
Ramon was not an observant Jew, but said early on that he would eat only kosher food and try to mark Shabbat on board. …
“This is symbolic,” Ramon said. “I thought it would be nice to represent all kinds of Jews, including religious ones.” He joked about affixing a mezuzah to the shuttle’s door, but said it was up to the commander.
: See Rossi’s verse in the comments.
