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64
When Jews Wittur
NASA's Jewish
astronauts are the
latest in a long line
of wanderers and
wonderers who
look to the stars.
LOIS K. SOLOMON SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
board the space shut-
tle Discovery, astro-
naut
Jeffrey
Hoffman marveled
at the celestial dra-
ma unfolding be-
fore him.
Every hour and
a half, as the shut-
tle circled the
earth, he passed
through a day
and a night. In
the dark below,
a lightning
storm flashed.
He blinked and a meteor crashed through
the atmosphere. Then the sun rose in bril-
liant yellows and oranges.
"It was awesome in the true sense of the
word," Mr. Hoffman says now. "A dramat-
ic moment of beauty." -
Mr. Hoffman had hoped for a moment like
this. Looking out the window, he said the
blessing written specially for him by his rabbi
in Houston:
"Baruch atah adonai, eloheinu melech
haolam, shehu noteh shamayim v'yosed aretz
umoshav yikaro bashamayim mema'al
ushchenot uzo b'gavhei miromim."
"Blessed are you, Adonai our God, ruler
of the universe, who stretched forth the
heavens and laid the foundation of the earth.
His glory is revealed in the heavens above,
and His might is manifest in the loftiest
heights."
A Jewish astronaut explores the cosmos.
Mr. Hoffman wasn't the first, and it's un-
likely he'll be the last. But with his Jewish
education and enthusiasm, he brings a rare
perspective to space. So do the other Jewish
astronauts, whose Jewish ties may differ
from Mr. Hoffman's, but were molded in
their youth and remain strong today.
There are six Jewish men and women
54
Astronaut Jeffrey Hoffman replaces fuse plugs on the Hubble Space Telescope during a repair mission last December.
Lois K. Solomon is senior writer of the Palm
Beach Jewish Times.