A couple of weeks ago, before the Space Shuttle launch, Israeli Astronaut Ilan Ramon had a televised conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. He said,
“I call upon every Jew in the world to plant a tree in the land of Israel during the coming year. I would like to see at least 13 or 14 million new trees planted in Israel exactly one year from now, on the anniversary of the [Columbia] launching. Here in space we are keeping busy and I would like to thank everyone.”
Posted on the Jewish National Fund website this week:
It is with much sorrow and a deep sense of commitment to the legacy of Israeli Astronaut Ilan Ramon and his fellow Columbia crew members that we send you this email today. It seems unbelievable that only one week ago we emailed you with Mr. Ramon’s request to have “13 or 14 million new trees planted in Israel exactly one year from now, on the anniversary of the [Columbia] launching.”
To fulfill this dream and the requests from many of our supporters worldwide, JNF is coordinating a global effort to plant trees throughout Israel, including on Airforce Bases.
It’s a mitzvah opportunity. And as my friend Chaim says, it’s “a fitting tribute to a man who has personally seen more trees in one glance than most people on earth will see in their lives.”