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Remarks by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to the Families of the Columbia Space Shuttle Crew. |
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| 17/03/2004 |
First, I would like to welcome you all in Jerusalem - you are most welcome here. On behalf of the Government and the people of Israel, I want to welcome you all here to Jerusalem, the eternal capital of the Jewish People and the State of Israel.
Your presence here today underscores the shared values and dreams of our nations.
But, for me personally, it also represents the fulfillment of a promise I made to the crew of the Columbia on January 21st, 2003, when I spoke to Colonel Ramon and Commander Husband in orbit above the Earth, and invited them all to visit Israel as our guests once their mission was completed. Rick Husband accepted the invitation on behalf of the crew.
On February 1st, 2003, the journey of Columbia and her crew came to a tragic end. One year has since passed, and now you are enabling me to fulfill my pledge, if only symbolically. I wish that your loved ones were here with us.
Beyond the scientific contribution of the Columbia to space exploration, STS-107, with Israels first astronaut Ilan Ramon on board, had a special significance for us in Israel.
4000 years of Jewish history were carried to space together with Ilan, the son of Holocaust survivors, who took with him on the mission a tiny Torah Scroll, which was smuggled into a concentration camp during the Holocaust.
The members of the Columbia Space Shuttle are no longer with us, but their spirit and their cargo - our hopes, values and dreams for a better future here on Earth - will forever live in our hearts.
Our joint efforts in space will continue - because of the Torah Scroll that Ilan took to space, because of our shared values and because of our common destiny, embodied in the journey of Flight STS-107 of the Shuttle Columbia.
Thank you so much for coming, and I think that I could have fulfilled my invitation to your beloved. You are most welcome here and I would like you to know that you are among friends here, real friends. Here, you are most welcome.
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