In less than three months, Israeli astronaut Eytan Stibbe will take off for the International Space Station as part of the historic "Rakia" mission, and will bring with him several items highlighting Jewish heritage and tradition.
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One of those items is a dreidel (sevivon in Hebrew), the beloved children's game that will exemplify the connection between ancient Jewish tradition to the innovation and progress of the space mission. The dreidel will symbolize the technological miracle of sending a human being into outer space. The zero-gravity conditions in space will allow the dreidel to spin endlessly.
At a Hanukkah candle-lighting ceremony in Houston, Stibbe, a former fighter pilot who will become the second astronaut in Israel's history after Ilan Ramon, presented Mayor Sylvester Turner with the dreidel.
Turner praised the Jewish community, wished Stibbe a fascinating journey and encouraged more cooperation between his city and the State of Israel.
"I told him I would take a dreidel with me to the International Space Station that will allow me to demonstrate the way in which it works in space in conditions of microgravity and no friction that causes is to slow down and stop," Stibbe said of his conversation with Turner. "This is also how Earth rotates, without friction and without stopping."
"As part of the Rakia Mission to the International Space Station," Stibbe said, "I will be taking with me a bag filled with items that have a special meaning to me. It was clear to me that one of these items will be a symbol of Jewish history."
The purpose of the "Rakia" mission, a joint initiative of the Ramon Foundation and the Israel Space Agency in the Ministry of Innovation Science and Technology, is to "inspire the younger generation while advancing and expanding the Israel Aerospace Industry," according to the mission's official website.
Stibbe is scheduled to spend 200 hours in space where he will perform a number of experiments using Israeli technology and scientific developments.
"The mission is an opportunity for breakthroughs in dozens of Israeli technologies and scientific experiments in space, a chance to advance education and the arts in Israel," the website continued.
Rakia will be the first space mission manned entirely by private astronauts.
Another item Stibbe will take with him to space is an ancient coin dating to the Bar Kochba revolt.
The Bar Kochba revolt was an uprising of Jews in Judea against the Roman Empire from 132 to 136 AD, led by Simon Bar Kochba. "Year two of the liberty of Israel" is imprinted into the coin, in defiance of Roman sovereignty.
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With its depiction of a palm tree and vine leaves, Stibbe said the 1,900-year-old coin represented his connection to the Land of Israel, his love of country, and Israelis' desire for independence, following a visit to the IAA's Dead Sea scrolls laboratory in Jerusalem.
"The palm tree particularly touched me," he noted, "as it is the symbol of the Agricultural Research Organization at Volcani Center, where my father spent his life conducting research on the country's soil."
Eli Eskosido, director of the IAA, said the rebels "could not have imagined in their wildest dreams that after many centuries, this item would make its way to outer space with a Jewish astronaut who lives in an independent Jewish state."
